Twelfth KNight:VB style
by InweTinuviel
Summary: Cagalli enters ZAFT Academy to find her twin brother and play volleyball to defeat her former school.One thing she did not expect to find was love. Could she keep it altogether while hiding her true gender? AthrunxCagalli.
1. Chapter 1: The game plan

Oh my gosh! Is this the first Gundam Seed Fanfic for the New Year 2009?? Freaking cool man! So happy new year to you!!!! All the best for 2009!

I do not own Gundam SEED franchise or Vampire Knight. Though it would be so damn cool if i did!:)

ENJOY!:)))

Inspired(not so much) by the Shakespearen play - Twelfth Night or (more) Hana Kimi or She's the man all jumble together:)

* * *

"Here!" A feisty blond shouted as she dived headlong into the warm beach sand as she managed to hit the ball to her team mate - a purple-haired male as he volleyed the ball over the net. The opposing team face fell as they watched the ball fall just touching the inside of the court. The blond-haired girl cheered as she hugged her team mate as a point was awarded to them.

"Yes!" She shouted as she clapped her hands and resumed her position as her team mate got ready to serve the ball over. Her hands behind her as she made some quick hand gestures to her team mate. He smirked as they went in for the kill. They were now one point short of sweeping the set and the match.

Taking a running start, he served the ball over as the opposing team managed to save it from hitting the sand and volleyed back in two tries. The blond narrowed her hazel eyes in concentration as the ball sailed over the net. Taking a flying leap, she stretched her hands as she gracefully spiked the ball over ending the game as her opponents fall victim to her killer spike. She punched her hands into the air as her teammate swung her around before planting a kiss on her lips, she gladly returned the kiss.

"You were awesome babe!" The purple-haired smiled as he settled her down to the mat where a few of their friends were lounging around. "Thanks Yunna," She grinned back as she leaned on him. "If we keeps this up think we could even make it to championships and maybe even win a medal! I have a good feeling about this year!" He grinned at her enthusiasm. "Of course with a captain like you maybe even gold medals could be on the table." She beamed brightly at his compliment.

"You guys are impossible, training starts the day after tomorrow and you're already playing volleyball," a red-headed girl said lazily as she stretched out on the beach wearing her red-and-white striped bikini. "Take a break love birds. Enjoy the sun while you can, cause you'll be living, breathing and _loathing_ volleyball once training starts."

"Get a grip Cheryl!" The blond said rolling her eyes at her friend. "I can't wait for training to start; all my muscles have turn into fats!" She made a disgusted face.

"Yeah right Cagalli," Cheryl said dryly "You got the hottest bod on this beach." Cagalli blushed as her boyfriend laughed.

"She's right! But you know you should start getting into shape, you're going to waste," he said as he poked her in the ribs.

"Yunna!" Cagalli's eyes flashed as she looked at him accusingly.

"Chill babe!" Yunna replied rolling his eyes.

She returned his eye roll as she looked at the waves crashing on the beach; she couldn't help but smiled as her heart leaped inside of her.

_This is going to be a memorable year!_ Little did she know what was in store for her.

* * *

"What? You got to be kidding me?!" A scream echoed in the hallways of Emirates High.

It was about 5 weeks till school officially starts but the school was already buzzing with activities as students were streaming in either as new students or students wanting to get a head start on their sports or aesthetics schedules since competition season starts a few weeks after school reopens.

"What is it?" A black-headed girl with gold streaks running through her hair asked as she peered over Cagalli's shoulder, bewildered at her outburst.

"Look!" Cagalli said pointing at a notice on the Activities Board in school.

**With Immediate Effect**

**The women's volleyball team will be closed down due to tightening of budget and poor participation record.**

The black-haired girl's honey-coloured eyes widened. "You got to be joking. This was supposed to be our season! _OUR_ season! This is the year that we may finally win the championships and they choose now to shut us down? Unbelievable!"

Cagalli frowned, her sentiments exactly. This was supposed to be a great year and someone had just poured freaking ice-cold water over her parade.

"I'm not taking this lying down Kayla! I'm going to ask coach," She said firmly as she tore down the blasted notice and marched to the volleyball court where the men's team was training.

"Coach! What's the meaning of this?!" Cagalli demanded as she burst through the doors waving the notice in her hands. Her golden eyes filled with anger.

"Huh? Oh yes Cagalli. Sorry about it, most unavoidable," He apologized but there was no trace of sincerity in his voice which Cagalli detected since her eyes widened.

"Why are you closing us down? We have enough girls even without freshmen! Coach my team really got a chance this year!" Cagalli argued, oblivious to the boys who had stopped training and gathered around them.

"Sorry, even so the budget this year is simple too small and the men's team has got a real shot at beating ZAFT Academy this year," The coach replied never bothering to look Cagalli in the eyes.

"Coach, if money is the issue here, we can foot the bill. That way the school wouldn't even have to give us a cent!" Kayla piped in.

Cagalli smiled. "Ya! Money is not an issue!" Who's to argue since her father is a well-known successful businessman.

The Coach finally turned to the two girls with an alarmed expression. "N-No. The administration has decided and what they say goes. That's final. Now girls please leave. We're in the midst of training," The man said in a final sort of way that was clear to both girls that the conversation has ended.

"Coach!" They cried in unison.

"C'mon, it's not the end of the world. I mean there are other options like knitting circle or I heard that cooking101 has vacancies," Yunna laughed as his team echoed his views.

"What? I thought you say that our team had a shot this year?" Cagalli said in disbelief. Why is Yunna acting this way?

"Cagalli babe, face it. You guys never had a shot. Your team is how do I put it? Lousy. Whereas we" he said as he gestured to his team "have a real and solid chance of beating those ZAFT scums and take back our trophy. Right boys?" Yunna called as he spread his arms open.

"Yes Cap'n!" The boys chorused.

Cagalli blinked as Yunna gave her a sickening smile. How did I fall in love with such a self-absorbed git?

"And darling, I just say that to make you feel better. I mean realistically your team never stood a chance," He continued smugly.

She stared at him in shock. What the hell is going on? She could feel her blood boiling as she clenched her fists. Behind her she could feel Kayla seething with anger as well. Saying bad things about her team has officially gone overboard. She glared at Yunna who still had that irritating smug look on his face.

"Oh shut your gap Yunna! The last time I heard you lost to ZAFT real bad. What was the score again? Do you remember Kayla?" She turned to the fuming girl behind her.

Kayla's head snapped up as she shot Cagalli a confused look. Then a slight smirk spread across her face as she replied in mock horror, "How can you forget Cagalli? I mean it was all over the school papers and all over the school literally! Everyone knows the outcome. I mean it was like the thrashing of the century. In fact it was the mother of all thrashes at Emi High. 10-25 wait no that's wrong there's no way they can get that much points. Oh ya I remember it was 4-25. I think it was in the record book for the lowest points ever garnered in a volleyball match." She smiled innocently.

Her words were like daggers slicing through the air and no doubt embedding in the very ego of the male team since the mood changed to a dark stormy atmosphere.

"Why you little- " A boy growled as he flexed his arms.

"What? Gonna hit us girls? Don't you think you could be conserving your energy. I mean We wouldn't want to tire you all out. You guys still have to break the record, it's going to take a lot out of you to get even lesser points than last time," Cagalli taunted, relishing the moment.

"Baby c'mon- " Yunna started as he moved forward.

Cagalli took a disgusted step back. "Don't baby me you bastard! We're done!"

Yunna eyes narrowed there's no way that bitch was breaking up with him. No girls will ever break up with Yunna Roma Serian. The only person doing the breaking was him. "C'mon baby, don't be such a –" He didn't get to finish his sentence since he had a 'fistful' in his mouth – seriously.

Cagalli had just socked him in the mouth. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting to do that," she said evenly as Kayla watched on in amusement at Yunna who was now sprawled on the ground with a bloodied mouth as the guys crowded around Yunna.

"C'mon Kayla," Cagalli said in a disgusted voice as they exited the court.

* * *

"So what are you going to do?" Kayla asked a few days after the incident as she lay on her cousin's bed.

"Actually I got an idea," Cagalli said excitedly as she plonked herself down on her bed. Kayla rolled over to look at her cousin quizzically.

"I'm going to ZAFT Academy!" Cagalli exclaimed as her cousin's golden orbs widened in shock as Kayla opened her mouth to comment on Cagalli's announcement.

"Wait before you say anything, let me finish," Cagalli said holding up a hand. "Because we no longer have a volleyball team, I decided to switch schools and when I get there I'll get into their volleyball team and beat Yunna and his minions of idioticity. Oh man I can't wait to see their faces!" She said gleefully.

Kayla in the meantime had spotted a huge and obvious flaw in the plan.

"And also I eh…found out something. You remember my twin brother that my Dad has to give away cause we were too poor then to bring up two babies simultaneously. Guess what? I found him or at least I know where he is," She continued as she gazed wistfully out of her bedroom window, Kayla had sat upright at her news.

"Oh my god, you serious?" Kayla breathed, forgetting about the flaw.

"Ya, apparently my father had been in secret correspondent with his _guardian_ aka his "father" " Cagalli made quotation marks in the air when she said 'father' "he send a letter to my dad and I eh read it." Cagalli smiled sheepishly as Kayla peered at her with a knowing glance. "Don't look at me like that! I had to know what was making him so happy! So I found out that my twin is in ZAFT Academy and is really smart honor roll and everything and get this- " Cagalli smiled as she paused for the dramatic effect. Her cousin rolled her eyes. "He's in the volleyball team too! How more alike can you get?!" She said laughing.

"I'm happy for you. But there's one big problem which I'm not sure you noticed," Kayla said as she hesitated to form her next sentence. "There's only a male volleyball team," She said finally.

"I know, so I'm going as a boy,'" she rushed on as she cringed at her cousin's reaction

"ARE YOU FREAKING INSANE? HAVE YOU GONE COMPLETELY BONKERS?!" Kayla exploded.

"Geez calm down Kays! That's why I need your help," Cagalli said hastily as her cousin scowled at her.

"I already registered and as for now I'm officially Caleb Yula new student living in Hester Dorm," She recited from memory recalling the contents from the letter that she had received that morning from ZAFT Academy.

Kayla's perfectly-shaped brows rose.

"You do know that the chances of this _scheme_ of yours failing is like I don't know almost as certain as the fact that your ex-boyfriend is a gigantic moron," she said as Cagalli snorted at her last comment.

"Which of course means that it will work, because Yuna is not a gigantic moron," Cagalli said in mock seriousness as Kayla stared at her in disbelief. " Yuna is a sniveling pile of crap with a bucketful of stupidity." Kayla blinked at her before bursting out in peals of laughter with Cagalli.

"Oh man! But seriously Kays, me going to ZAFT is not just to beat Yunna and his posse, it may be my only chance of finding my twin brother. I mean if Dad wants us to meet we would have done so already which shows that he doesn't want a family reunion," Cagalli's voice cracked slightly.

Kayla's eyes softened as she squeezed her cousin's hand. "I know that, but its dangerous. Who knows what they'll do once they found out?"

"I don't know, I'm just making this up as I go along. But I wouldn't be there forever once the volleyball championships is over, I'll make up some excuse to leave ZAFT and go back to Emi High. I'll be back in six months tops. I can handle it," She smiled as if trying to reassure herself. Kayla returned her smile half-heartedly, her insides all jumbled up, but she bit back the pessimistic remarks she had, her cousin need not hear any more of it. She probably knows what she's getting into.

"When you going in?" Kayla asked flatly.

Cagalli shot her a confused look before flashing a gorgeous smile.

"Oh my god! Thank You! Thank You!" She gushed as she pulled Kayla into a bear hug. Kayla laughed.

"You don't need to do much. I got everything plan out!" Cagalli rabbled, her topaz eyes gleaming with excitement. "I'll be leaving this Friday and Dad who is on a business trip wouldn't be back till next Monday which I already told him that I'll be in school already. Then on Wed he'll be flying off for at least two to three months and even if he is Orb he'll be so swarmed that he wouldn't be able to call me up in Emirates and he usually contacts me on my cell. So I just need you to tell Emirates Administration that I'm taking a 'sabbatical' and will be back in a few months let them think I'm having volleyball withdrawal or something, thank god ZAFT and Emirates are so far apart. And you have to promise me that you wouldn't tell anyone about this," Cagalli added seriously.

Kayla's eyes nearly bulged out at the speed her cousin had spoke at as she nodded. "You really got it sorted," She said in admiration. "Don't worry about Emi High. I'll take care of everything. Just promise me that you'll take care and call me at least every week. I want to know if ZAFT has any cute guys cause frankly Emi High boys sucks," She grinned foolishly as Cagalli thumped her on the head.

"You and your boys," Cagalli said as she shook her head. "C'mon I only have 3 days to become a boy!" She said grabbing Kayla's hand and dragged her out of her room.

* * *

"Ok. This is it. C'mon you can do this!" Cagalli said under her breath. Her fake sideburns were really itchy and it was taking all of her willpower not to pull them off. She gazed at the tall iron-wronged gates of ZAFT Academy, she could not help but be awed by its magnificence, it looks nothing like a school, it was literally a palace. Then again, ZAFT Academy is one of the most prestigious school in Orb Union.

"Let's do this!" Cagalli smiled to herself as she entered the compound wearing her new uniform a navy blue pants suit complete with shirt, tie and vest that had gold trimmings. Stylish but simple. She could get use to the uniform which was very comfy better than the scratchy material that she used to wear at Emirates. She adjusted her duffel bag strap as she walked up the driveway to the school still taking in the sights of the lush green grass field that lined the driveway where the students probably relaxed on a nice summer day.

As she reached the General Office to get her dorm key she couldn't help but asked a question that had been nagging at her.

"Um…sorry I was just curious? Is the school always this empty?" She asked and she took the dorm key from the plump lady.

The lady gave her a look before saying, "It's still relatively early but half of the students are here, you didn't see them because there's volleyball training today. Try the court."

Cagalli smiled wryly, "Volleyball that big?"

The lady peered over her granny's glasses before saying, "Yes, ZAFT's team is the best in Orb and not to mention all the eye candies you'll see," She added dreamily.

Cagalli made a disgusted face at her comment but quickly changed to a smile when the lady returned back from dreamland.

"Now please go. I've got work to do," The lady said returning to the work, Cagalli bowed respectfully before leaving the office.

_That was a disturbing scene_ Cagalli shuddered remembering the gross dreamy look the lady gave thinking about the volleyball boys._ I'm going to have nightmares._

Halfway en route to her dormitory, she spotted a black-haired boy who was holding up a shorter and visibly scared boy by his shirt and almost lifting him off the ground.

Cagalli bit her lower lip; _I don't want trouble especially with my already complex situation_ she thought as her gorgeous orange eyes were transfixed on the scene before her. She gasped as she saw the black-haired boy raising a fist. She knew she had to do something.

"Hey you! Stop that!" She cried out in the deepest voice she could muster. She cringed at the voice that came out; it sounded unnatural and well just plain weird.

The two boys turned towards her. The black-haired boy she noticed had blood-red eyes like the vampires in Vampire Knight the anime that she was hooked on. However unlike Kaname the kind vampire, the red eyes that glared at Cagalli send chills down her spine. She refused to be sway by the mere look. One thing she hated was bullies and no bully is going to get away with her around.

The 'vampire' lowered his fist as his eyes narrowed at the intruder. "Stay out of it," he said coldly and returned his attention to the trembling boy.

"No! You can't go around bullying students like that!" She said firmly as she glared at him with all the ferocity she could gather.

"What did you say twerp?" Red eyes looked at her, loosing his hold on the boy who seized this opportunity scampered leaving Cagalli alone with the bully who by each passing second look more and more vampire-like.

"I-I say you can't go around bullying people. It's wrong. I mean what did he ever do to you?" She said refusing to be intimidated. The 'vampire' seized a fistful of her shirt and came so close that if of someone was to pass by would think that he was going to kiss her. Though she knew that was way way way down on his to-do list.

"Listen you little rascal and listen good. You just mess with the wrong guy. Enjoy your day cause for the rest of the year it's gonna be **hell** for you," He said in such a cold tone that it froze up her blood as she felt a sickening feeling of dread in her stomach as she glared back.

"You threatening me? Only cowards make threats," She retorted refusing to let him have the upper hand.

"That maybe but unlike cowards I follow through," he smiled sadistically that increase the feeling of dread in her as he let go of Cagalli and stalked away.

Cagalli grabbed hold of a railing as she gathered her scattered nerves. _Oh shit. This is bad. This is really bad!_ She thought as panic replaced the subsiding fear. _Maybe I should just go back to Emirates_

_No! _Another voice screamed in her head._ You have come all this way and you're not going to give it all up just because some punk decide to make you his next target. You're Cagalli Yula Athha! You will not be defeated by stupid bullies! You are strong!_

Cagalli face changed to reflect her thoughts, her eyes now full of resilience and her face shone of determination as she regained the use of her legs and walked with her chin up to her dorm.

Bring it on Vampire!

* * *

Kudos if you can guess who the 'vampire' is!:)

Thanks for reading! Please remember to review thank you!

I know Kaname isn't actually very kind in Vampire Knight but let's say this is him in the earlier chapters of Vampire Knight ok for this fanfic:)

Lastly you be glad to know that this fic will be update quite fast cause i wanna finish this before i receive my results in Feb after that i won't know if i'll have the mood to write.-smiles sadly-

-coolios


	2. Chapter 2: Makeouts Freakouts & Tryouts

Hello! Here's the second chapter!!! Yes!yes!yes! :)

Thank you for all my reviewers who review my first chapter! Thank you! Xie xie! Arigato! Gam sia ha mi dah! Merci!Khrap Khoon Kha! (one language for each 6 of you!)

I do not own Gudam SEED franchise! Though i would love too!:)

Inspired(not so much) by the Shakespearen play - Twelfth Night or (more) Hana Kimi or (a lot more) She's the man all jumble together:)

ENJOY!!! :)))

* * *

Cagalli Yula Athha somehow managed to make her way to the hall where she would be residing. _At least no one can bother me here__. S_he reached the front door of her new room and inserted the key inside and was greeted by the orange glow that was reflected off the painted walls by the sunlight that was streaming through the open window which faced the driveway of the school. She couldn't help but smiled sure it was not as big as her bedroom at home but it looked cosy. She looked at the beds, it looked inviting.

_Wait a minute! Two beds? No that's not right! I specifically asked for a single room! _She thought as her stomach gave a funny lurch.

She looked at the bed that already had stuff sprawled all over it, some clothes and books.

_Oh man! How the hell am I going to keep up the charade with another boy sleeping beside me? No! I'm changing room!_ As she stormed out of her room and slammed the door behind her.

"Excuse me, I think there must have been some mistake. I remembered requesting for a single room?" She said panting as she burst into the office.

The same plump lady who had given her the dorm key looked at her scathingly. "There is no mistake. There are no single rooms this year. All the single rooms had been converted to doubles due to the increased in enrolment. If you have a problem, I suggest you talk to the headmaster." She replied. Cagalli mouth opened as her hazel eyes narrowed.

"Fine then, I'll talk to him," She said clenching her fists pissed by the plump lady's words. Her words surprised the lady since she did not think that any students will dare to look for the headmaster. Obviously she had not met Cagalli.

"You're in luck. He's in," She said dryly, showing clear dislike for Cagalli. Cagalli glared at her as she made her way to the headmaster's office. She knocked on the heavy oak doors as she heard a muffled "Come in". She nervously entered the room, the headmaster a middle-aged man with black hair was seated behind a desk as he pored over his work.

"How can I help you?" The headmaster said looking up. Cagalli cleared her throat as she replied, "Excuse me, I just transferred here. My name is Caleb Yula. I was wondering about my room." She sat down on a chair opposite the headmaster which she found out was Mr Gilbert Durandal.

The headmaster peered at her. "What about it?"

'Er…I was wondering if it's possible to have a room to myself. You see I-er not comfortable with sharing my room with a total stranger. I got personal space issues. Is it possible for me to change rooms?" She asked as her heart fluttered nervously.

The headmaster continued to look at her intently.

"I don't think it's possible, you see we have too many students this year. In fact I would have to turn some of the rooms into triple sharing just so every student has a place to sleep. So you see that is out of the question," He said in a voice that told Cagalli that she was fighting a losing battle.

Cagalli gulped as she tried to argue back, "But sir, I really can't stay with another boy because…because I um…er…have this problem! Which makes it really hard for me to live with anyone."

Mr Durandal's eyebrows raised as Cagalli continued.

"You see I'm a really bad roommate, I mean I snored like a chainsaw and I have really –er bad BO! Ya! I mean I went through about 6 or 8 roommates and they all complain about me so much until my former school administration had to put me in a single room.I don't think i can take anymore rejections. I think it would be better for me to sleep alone from the start. And besides think of the poor soul who has to suffer because of me! It'll be a lot better for him if I just sleep alone. I wouldn't want any of your students' grades to suffer because they have to study outside when I'm in the room," She invented wildly as she shook her head in fake sympathy and put on a sad face to back her story. She crossed her fingers hoping that the headmaster would buy her story.

The headmaster just looked at her with a bemused expression as he said lightly, "Well that is a problem but that can be fixed easily. Just tell your roommate to buy ear plugs and open the windows in your room and anyway our campus has good and conducive places to study sometimes better than the dorm room."

Cagalli just stared at him as she sputter out, "But…but…"

"You see, I think you're just shy about starting school as a new student. It's understandable. Don't worry, it'll be fine and I think your roommate would be most sympathetic to your problem. At ZAFT Academy we produce some of the country's finest citizens. So just enjoy your time here," He said with a knowing smile. Cagalli returned the smile weakly. She knew the argument was lost.

"I suppose so. I'll take my leave now. Thank you headmaster," She said unwillingly as she stood up and made her way to the door with a heavy heart.

"Caleb, if you have any problems you know you can always look for me. Here at ZAFT we try to keep things informal and foster relationships with the students," The headmaster called out smiling. Cagalli nodded as she exited the room and grudgingly made her way back to her dorm.

She was so lost in thoughts that she accidentally bumped into another student causing the files she had been holding to tumble out of her arms.

"Oof! I'm so sorry! I didn't see where I was going," Cagalli apologized as she bent down to pick up the fallen files.

The girl she bumped into smiled. "It's Ok."

"Here, sorry again," Cagalli said returning her files. Her eyes widened at the girl. She had beautiful pink hair and gorgeous blue eyes. Cagalli shook her head as her eyes fell to the girl's hands and saw the bracelet that she was wearing.

_Oh my god, that's so pretty!_ She thought staring at the silver and multi-layered bracelet that had different coloured crystals adoring it together with intricate designs all over.

"Why thank you!" The girl said as Cagalli blushed realizing that she had voiced her thoughts out. "I got it at _Rouge23,_" she added.

Cagalli tore her eyes from the bracelet to look at the girl._ Rouge23_? It was her favourite clothing store! Normally she dislike shopping but for _Rouge23_ she made an exception cause even though the clothes were feminine there was a certain edgy look to it which Cagalli loved. "Really? I didn't know they sell accessories too?" She said without thinking.

"Oh they don't use too, but they just opened a new accessories section here, I think it's the first in Orb," The pink-haired girl smiled. "Is it? Wow I didn't know that? Do you think they still sell this bracelet?" Cagalli asked eagerly but immediately realized what she had said in horror. _Shit! Boys are not supposed to get all excited about a girl's bracelet! Ohmygod Rouge23 is a girls' store! Shit I can't believe I said all that! _

Crap.

"Um…I mean it's for my cousin! Her er birthday is coming up soon! So um I think that she would like that bracelet! I mean why would I shop at _Rouge23_? It's a girl's store! I'm a boy! I don't shop!" Cagalli babbled as she tried to deepen her voice. The girl raised her eyebrows, confused at Cagalli's sudden strange demeanour. Cagalli felt her cheeks heating up. _I got to get out of here!_

"Um…I got to go! Bye!" Cagalli said hastily as she sprinted away cursing inwardly at her own stupidity.

The pink-haired girl watched Cagalli ran in amusement as she giggled. _He's kinda cute _She smiled as she walked away.

Panting, Cagalli reached her dorm room as she reached to unlock the door she noticed that the door was slightly ajar and she heard some weird noise coming from inside her room. Curious, she pushed open the door slightly and peeped in and immediately regretted it. She quickly pulled away as her heart start pounding as her cheeks warmed up again.

Oh my god

Gathering a hold on herself, she gulped as she approached the door again to confirm that what she had seen wasn't a hallucination.

There were two persons in her room; she couldn't see their faces just their lower legs and feet and it was clear to her that one was on top of the other, the girl she deduced from the slender legs and painted toenails was underneath with what she thinks is a boy on top of her from the well-muscled tanned legs she saw. There were moanings and sighings emitting from the bed. Cagalli couldn't help but feel embarrassed for them. It was clear as day that those two were making out very er_ passionately_ she thought blushing.

"You know, it's very rude to spy," a voice whispered behind her. Cagalli let out a small yelp at being caught, the voice freaked her out so badly that she jumped and tumbled into the room.

The couple in her room was so startled that the guy almost fell out of the bed as both of them quickly adjusted their clothes and sat up, their faces slightly flushed at being caught. Cagalli was mortified as she lay on the cold floor wishing that it would just opened up and swallowed her. She felt hands hoisting her up as she looked up and saw a brown-haired male smirking at her. Her face went red again.

"You ok?" He asked, her eyes widened as she recognized the voice as the one that freaked her out so badly.

"I-I'm fine," She muttered. The boy laughed as he turned his attention to the blushing couple.

"Next time remember to shut and lock the door Athrun Zala. You wouldn't want your lovemaking splashed all over school, think of the countless hearts you'll break?!" The boy teased as the boy – Athrun blushed again.

"Shut up Kira, what are you doing here anyway?" Athrun demanded.

"I live next door remember? And I saw peeping tom here" he jabbed a finger at Cagalli as two pair of eyes swiveled to her. "And I pretty much guess what was going on," He laughed.

'Who are you and why are you peeping?" Athrun said glaring at Cagalli.

Cagalli stared at him before replying. "I was assigned to this dorm." She crossed her arms over the chest.

"I see…aren't you going to apologize for spying?" Athrun questioned.

Cagalli's eyebrows rose as she spat back, "Me? Apologise? I'm not the one who is caught making out, if you dare to do it why can't I see?" Her face went fire-engine red at the last few words and the hidden meaning that they might imply. "I-I don't mean that I want to see. I wouldn't want to even you pay me a million bucks. I mean not that I will still see if you pay me a million bucks. I – I" Cagalli face went if its' even possible even redder. She was practically digging her own grave, as the three others in the room watch with raised eybrows at her futile attempt to right herself.

"Chill dude, we get it. Don't need to over-exerted yourself," Kira said bemused.

Cagalli glared at him.

"Whatever, so you're my new roomie. I'm Athrun, this is Kira and this" Athrun said gesturing to the girl who was examining her nails. "Is Meer. Nice to meet you." Athrun extended his hand. Cagalli looked at it hesitatingly as she shook it and looked at Athrun. Her heart skipped a beat as she had a good look at him. He was so freaking hot from his midnight-blue hair to his piercing green eyes to his well-formed body.

"I'm Caleb," She said when she finally regained her speech abilities her hand still warm from his handshake. She smiled as she glanced at the girl on the bed and received the shock of her life.

"You? Didn't I just saw you in the hallway? How did you get here so fast?!" She exclaimed in disbelief. Meer just rolled her eyes at Cagalli, disinterested.

Meer looked scary alike with the girl she bumped into. But when Cagalli looked at her closely, she realized that it wasn't the same girl. Sure they look alike but Meer gives Cagalli the creeps and the impression that this was a girl that she would most likely not be friends with.

"Huh? Oh you mean Lacus! You met her already? Ya I know they look like twins. But I can assure you that they are as different as night and day," Kira answered as Meer glared at him. Something tells Cagalli that Kira did not particularly like the choice of girl his friend was making out with. "Whatever. Athrun hon let's go," Meer said in a sweet voice that Cagalli took an instant dislike to; it was too sweet for her liking.

"Not now Meer, you need to leave before anyone finds out. I'll seeya later," Athrun said pecking her on the lips. Cagalli politely looked away as she felt irritation eating at her though she's not sure why.

Meer pouted and reluctantly left the room, obviously annoyed that her make out session had been interrupted.

"You're new right? Need me to show you around?" Athrun offered.

"No its fine," Cagalli said coldly as she threw her bag on her bed. She's not sure why but she was very disturbed by the kiss he gave to Meer. She figured that it was probably because she did not like public display of affections. _Ya that's it._ She thought.

She noticed a yellow and blue striped volleyball in the corner of the room. "You play volleyball?" She asked curiously.

"Hm? Ya…you play too?" Athurn asked as he picked up the ball and started playing with it.

"Ya. I was thinking of trying out for the team. You know when the tryouts are?" Cagalli asked eagerly.

"Tomorrow 10 at the Volleyball Court," Kira replied.

Cagalli whirled around and looked at him. "You're on the team too?"

"Yeah, Athrun here is the Captain," Kira said smiling.

Even a bigger shock. Athrun shrugged as he started bouncing the ball on the insides of his forearms a move usually employed by players to pass a ball that came to them below chest level to another teammate or what they call digging. Cagalli's orange eyes followed the ball as it made a rather soothing sound when it hit his arms. _He's good_ Cagalli mused as she watched Athrun skillfully bounce the ball without dropping it.

"Stop showing off man," Kira said rolling his eyes, Athrun grinned as he caught the ball. Cagalli's heart skipped again.

"I got to go, seeya later," Kira said shaking his head as he left the room.

Cagalli resumed her unpacking careful not to let any items that might expose her gender shows. She felt a pair of eyes on her as she turned around to see Athrun staring at her.

"Don't you have anything else better to do?" She snapped.

"No," He said cheerfully, obviously enjoying irritating her.

Cagalli glared at him, much as she would like to sock the guy for staring at her and for turning their room into a brothel, she bit back her words since he's the volleyball captain and she did not want to anger him for fear that it might decrease her chances to be on the team. Giving him a final death glare, she slumped back on her bed and kicked off her shoes. Getting lost in thoughts again, she glanced at the clock. It was only six in the evening and yet so much had happened. She managed to survive four hours without exposing herself, made a 'vampire' piss, met her pimp-of-a-roommate, made a fool out of herself and even got chummy with the headmaster. She sighed as she rolled over to face the wall. She heard the door opened and closed. Athrun had left. _Good riddance_ she thought as she closed her eyes and promptly fell asleep.

* * *

"Tryouts will begin shortly so I want you all to warm up. I do not want to hear complaints about muscles cramps," Athrun said. He was wearing his volleyball jersey and shorts. She couldn't help but think how cute he looked in them. She shook her head to clear her mind as she glanced around. There were about 10 to 15 other boys trying out as well. She sized up her competitors as she smirked._ This will be easy_. Her eyes wandered over to the bleaches which was filled with screaming fangirls. She wanted to puke at how desperate and pathetic those girls were acting. Her eyes widened when a black-haired boy with red eyes entered the court as the fangirls gushed loudly. She felt disgusted. _Don't they know what a bully he is? How could they be cheering for a bully?_ Her stomach did a somersault as the 'vampire' spotted her and gave her an evil smile. _Oh crap _she cringed_ He's gonna try something._

"…OK, we'll start off with physical conditioning before getting to the volleyball part," Athrun said as he blew his whistle.

Physical conditioning was pure torture. They had to run 10 laps around the track at an inhuman speed that Cagalli thought that she would have a heart attack by the time they finished. Even though she was very fit, her speed was still not enough to keep up with the volleyball team boys as they finished the laps almost effortlessly. After that they had to do pull ups, push ups and other sorts of exercises. When they were done, Cagalli felt her arms and legs had become jelly, she was so exhausted.

"Ok take 5 and we'll start on the volleyball part," Athrun said as everyone dispersed to get a drink. Cagalli brightened up as fresh energy surged through her.

"Ok each of you will be paired up with a team member and you'll be doing passes before a friendly match and then I'll announce who made the cut," Athrun called out.

Cagalli looked around, hoping that maybe Kira would pair with her. But sadly, Kira had already found his partner.

"Can't find one rascal?" a cold voice that Cagalli knew only too well said. She felt herself stiffened as she turned around to face the 'vampire' who looks as if any moment he'll pounced and sink his fangs into her. Cagalli smiled nervously as the 'vampire' set the ball to her. Cagalli watched as the ball came down towards her, she expertly did an overhead pass to the 'vampire'. They started to volley the ball back and forth. _He's really good_ Cagalli realized as since they had started 10 minutes ago, the ball had only seen ground twice which was pretty amazing.

Just as Cagalli though that maybe he wasn't that scary, his mouth curved upwards that gave an ominous feeling in her guts as she passed back the volleyball. The 'vampire' suddenly spiked the ball towards her, startling her as she felt the force of his spike. It knocked her backwards slightly as the air was whacked out of her lungs. _He sure could deal a mean spike_ She thought as she straightened up with the ball in her hands.

"Shinn Asuka! I said passing not spiking!" Athrun shouted as he glared at his teammate. Shinn – the vampire smirked as he said, " Sorry captain, my bad. But it's not my fault that he wasn't paying attention. What kind of volleyballer are you?" He turned to her at his last comment. Athrun shot him a warning look. Cagalli glared at him, his face showing no traces of remorse. Cagalli could feel fear nibbing at her but her anger overpowered it as she stared angrily at him. _If he wants to play rough, so can I!_ She smirked as she set the ball, plotting her revenge.

As they resume their play. Cagalli was on the look out for the opportunity for payback. She smiled as the moment arrived, she hit the ball with such force that it rocketed through the air and hit Shinn in the face even before he could comprehend what had happened. The fangirls gasped as Shinn stumbled backwards, his eyes watering from the hit. Cagalli put on a horrified face. "I'm so sorry. My bad, but it's not my fault that you're not paying attention. What kind of volleyballer are you?" She smirked slightly as she mimicked his earlier words. Shinn glared at her furiously as his face continued to sting, it was hard but not hard enough for him to sustain any injury. "You better watch out," he hissed venomously. Cagalli just smirked at him again as Athrun called everyone for the final round where they will be separated into two teams and they will play for 15 minutes.

Athrun blew his whistle and tossed Cagalli the ball, she dribbled the ball a few times before holding it out-stretched in her hand and tossed it in the air as she jumped and served the ball over. She smiled as her opponents who thought that the ball had gone out of the court muttered curses under their breath as her team cheered when the ball fall just touching the inside of the line. It was her personal favourite move as she started the next play. She served the ball over and this time her opponent managed to save it and set it to his teammate who dug under it and send it over after two touches. Cagalli squinted her eyes. The real game had begun.

After the game ended, Cagalli collapsed on the wooden floor of the volleyball court with the other boys, all of them clearly exhausted by today's tryouts. Cagalli though exhausted was happy because her team won and she had personally scored about 5 points for her team. She knew she stood a good chance of getting into first string. She looked at Athrun who was discussing the list with Kira and two other boys – a blond-haired and a silver-headed. She frowned at the blond haired as she remembered her other motive for coming to ZAFT. Could he be her twin? "All of you played very well today, but sadly we can only take in five new boys. The rest will be second string. The five are – Mitchell, Samuels, Yula, McKenzine and Johnson." He said as he smiled, "I'll let you decide if you should be happy you made it. Training starts tomorrow same time same place don't be late."

Cagalli beamed brightly when she heard her name being called. Her heart leapt for joy inside of her. She was now one step closer to beating Emirates. She jumped up after they were dismissed and was thinking of the cool and refreshing drink she was going to treat herself when she felt a hand roughly turning her around it was the vampire – I mean Shinn as she raised her eyebrows. "Congratulations Yula, I can't wait to dish you hell," he said in such a cold and deadly tone that it extinguished her euphoria instantly. She glared at him. "Bring it on," she retorted. Her eyes filled with determination. She wasn't scared of him since her revenge, he wasn't invincible; she could take whatever he threw at her. She swatted his hand off of her and walked away, pissed that her mood had been dampened.

* * *

How do you find this chapter? Thks for reading!:)

I know 10 mins of volleyball play with the ball touching ground may not seem amazing but it is! I couldn't survive 1 min without it dropping...

Before i sign off I'll like say to Cagalli _Yeah Right!_ _Whatever you say!_ when she told herself that she dislike _public display of affections_...when Athurn peck Meer. I refuse to say kiss. OH damn i just did! -sheesh-

Owells remember to review!!!

-coolios!


	3. Chapter 3: In weirdness and blood

Helloo!!! I'm on a roll here! 3 updates in less than a week! Whoo!! -smiles- well that's what happen when you're stuck at home with nothing to do...

Thank you to all my reviewers who reviewed my last chapter!! A big thank you to all of you all! I'll just like to say that i take every critic and suggestions seriously as i think that's a way to improve my fic and to generate ideas...so continue to reivew and if you have any suggestions i would gladly take it into consideration while i'm writing this fic -smiles- so thank you so much!

I do not own Gundam SEED franchise...only in my imagination:)

ENJOY!!!:)))

Inspired(not so much) by the Shakespearen play - Twelfth Night or (more) Hana Kimi or (a lot more)She's the man and (a bit) of Avalon High all jumble together:)

* * *

Cagalli was still fuming when she entered her room and muttering curses under her breath as she made her way to the male shower room. Walking in, she failed to notice that there were no cubicles or curtains, just shower heads. It was only when she dumped her clothes on bench and looked around did she finally realize that she had a huge problem on her hands. She gaped at the shower heads and wondered how the hell was she going to take a shower. She glanced around wildly hoping that the answer will pop out if she looked hard enough. Thank god the shower room was empty but it was still too dangerous for her to take a shower since any boy could just waltz in and get a free show.

_Oh man, I can't possibly take a shower like that! I got to think of something else. _She thought as she picked up her clothes and walked out after finding no solution. As she opened the door, she bumped into a cleaning cart that the janitor had left outside the showers. She frowned at it before her mouth curved upwards into a mischievous smile as an idea formed in her mind.

Glancing around to make sure that no one was around, she cautiously made her was to the female toilet which was opposite to the male showers. Cagalli hesitated as she creaked opened the door and peeped in. Her golden orbs widened as she spotted a pot belly ageing man snoozing in a corner, letting out a loud snore every now and then. Apparently the ladies room was a perfect place to take a siesta. She gently closed the door and looking around again when she was sure the coast was cleared, she picked up the yellow warning sign that the janitor use to place outside the female toilet to indicate that he was washing the female toilet and put it in front of the male shower room and pushed the cleaning cart in front of the door, blocking the entrance. She laughed silently and congratulated herself on her ingenuity.

Moving quickly she dashed into the showers and tore off her clothes, her fake side burns and the wrappings she had to hide her breasts. She sighed in contentment as the warm water hit her, soothing her aching muscles. After her refreshing shower, she put on fresh clothes and was about to gloat at her achievement of surviving her first shower in ZAFT Academy when she heard a scream that froze her blood. Her mind raced as she hurriedly bundled her clothes and gingerly walked to the door, pressing her ear against it. Cagalli heard shoutings and yellings coming from outside, curiosity getting the better of her, she opened the door slightly. The janitor that was snoozing in the female toilet was covering his head as a rather bull-dog like woman was hitting him furiously with a broomstick as she shrieked with every hit, "Pervert! Pervert! What are you doing in there?! You dirty old man!"

"What are you talking about crazy? I-I was cleaning to toilet? Didn't you see the sign?!" he said trying to protect himself from her craziness. The woman paused to say, "What sign? I don't see any sign! A likely story! You were trying to take advantage of me! Don't think I don't know! You D.O.M!" She screamed as she continued to pummel the man with her weapon. "I'm not a pervert! Even if I was I won't want any thing to do with you! Even a sex manic wouldn't be so desperate!" He said in his defense. The lady's bull-dog face turned slightly scarlet as she pointed a accusing finger at him. "You-You-you…" "Me…me…me" The janitor mimicked realizing he had her. The bull dog-faced woman stared at him as she muttered incoherent words before finally saying," Don't ever let me catch you in there again!" "Then you can clean your own toilet if I'm not allowed in! Insane woman!" He retorted as he massage his injures and pushed his cleaning cart away, muttering profanities underneath his breath as the woman stood there opening and closing her mouth like a goldfish as she threw the broom down and let out a frustrated scream as she walked away. Cagalli waited for a while before emerging and bolting for her room, laughing hysterically at the comical sight she just witnessed.

Still laughing as she opened the door, she gave a sudden gasp of shock as she felt an arm around her neck, holding it in a chokehold. "Congratulations rommie!" A voice said laughing as she felt a hand rubbing her head. "T-Thanks Athrun…can you let me go now?" She said as Athrun laughed and released her. Massaging her neck she glared at him. "What was that for?" She demanded. Athrun shrugged and smiled, "My way of saying well done! You got talent." Cagalli blushed at the remark as she dumped her clothes in the laundry basket. Her eyes widened as she took in Athrun's attire - a casual white t-shirt and well-fitted dark jeans. _He look so yummy…_she thought, blushing again at her audacious thought. Shaking her head she asked, "How did you change so fast?"

"There's another shower near the volleyball court. You ran so fast that I didn't have the chance to tell you about it." Athurn replied.

'Oh I see," Cagalli mumbled as she sneaked a glance to Athrun again.

Her stomach did a funny flop as she stared at him. "Are you ok?" Athrun asked in concern as he placed a hand on her forehead in concern. Cagalli's temperature must have risen tenfold. "Y-yes I'm fine. I er got to go. I um need to make a phone call," She mumbled as she snatched her cellphone and hurried out the door, never hearing Athrun's reply.

* * *

Cagalli wandered around the outsides of her dormitory, as she walked to the back of the building, she settled down on the grass as the sun shone its warm rays down while a gentle breeze blew to cool her skin from the heat. It was the perfect weather as Cagalli looked at the view; the boy's dormitory was overlooking the school's track, she watched a few students running and playing soccer in the field in the middle. She allowed herself to relax and soaked in the atmosphere before deciding to call Kayla.

"Hello?" Cagalli said testily.

"Oh so you finally decide to call? Realise that I'm still here?" She heard her cousin say sarcastically.

"Kayla, I just arrived yesterday. Aren't you over-reacting a little?" Cagalli said lazily leaning on the wall behind her.

"Over-reacting? _Over-reacting?_ Let me tell you what over-reacting is. Over-reacting is freaking out and calling the cops and the armed forces because her god damn cousin decides to think it would fun to change sex and school and then got herself locked in the dungeon because they found out!" Kayla shouted over the phone. Cagalli cringed as she held the phone an arm's length away.

"Geez. Kays! I called right? Calm down! Besides no bars can hold your cousin captive well except the bar at _CLUB O'_, but that's a whole different story," Cagalli joked as she heard Kayla snorted over the phone. She could just pictured Kayla rolling her eyes.

"Whatever! So spill! Did you find him?" Kayla asked.

Cagalli hesitated as she pondered over her question. "Well, there was this blond guy in volleyball…"she said slowly.

"A blond guy?" Kayla interrupted. "Cagalli, just because a guy is blond does not automatically make him your brother. I mean look at Cheryl and Charlene! They're twins but one had red hair while the other has brown."

Cagalli frowned realizing her cousin had raised a good and valid point. "Guess you're right. Oh man! That takes me back to square one!" She groaned.

"Cous, you never _left_ square one!" Kayla said laughing as Cagalli joined in. She smiled at the familiar and comforting laugh over the phone. _At least something never changes. _She thought.

"So quick! Tell what happen since you arrived!" Kayla said earnestly. Cagalli laughed as she gave a blow-by-blow account since she arrived from the volleyball tryouts to the mortifying situation when she tumbled into the room while Athurn and Meer were making out. When she arrived at the part about Shinn the vampire, Kayla gasped as she said fiercely, "Kick his ass Cagalli! Kick his freaking balls all the way to Tahiti! That Moronic jerk!" Cagalli laughed as she teased, "Don't you think I will? But I think he doesn't have any!" Kayla giggled at her cousin's comment.

"What do you think you're brother will be like?" Kayla wondered, once the laughter subsided.

Cagalli halted, she hasn't thought about what her brother would be like. "I don't know. He would be like me in some ways, after all we are twins. I'm not very sure though Kayla, at least he's smart! He can help me in chemistry!" She said smiling.

"Cagalli! Are you sure you just want to find your ol– wait is he older or younger?" Kayla asked. Cagalli paused realizing once again that she didn't know a lot about her twin. "I don't know, but does it really matter who's older or younger? I mean he's still my brother regardless. A space of a few minutes isn't going to make a huge difference," She said at last.

"Guess so, I'm just so psyched about having a male cousin! It'll be so cool! Think of all the hot guys that come with it!" Cagalli rolled her eyes at her cousin's words.

"Enough about me, tell me about Emirates!" Cagalli said staring absent-mindedly at the soccer game as Kayla spoke animatedly about what had happened at Emirates. She chuckled when Kayla told her how shocked everyone was at the news of her leaving Emirates.

"Oh man! I wish you could see the stupid boys when Cheryl, Charlene and I kicked their butt at volleyball! It was hilarious! You should have been there!" Kayla said laughing. Cagalli returned her laugh half-heartedly as Kayla continued her tales.

"Oh my god! Look at the time! We've been on the phone for nearly three hours! I got to go! I'm meeting the girls for dinner. Call me soon and take care cousin! Missing you! Bye!" Kayla said as hung up the phone after Cagalli wished her the same, promising to call her soon. She reluctantly closed her phone, staring at the silent cell phone with a strange hollowness inside her.

"C'mon Cagalli, you'll know that you'll get homesick when you make this choice. You know what you sign up for. Get over it. Just think of Yunna's face when you kicked his butt! You can do it!" She said to herself as she took a deep breath and looked up, staring at the sun that was setting, casting its final glow around, a promise of a better day to come. Her stomach rumbled nosily as she realized that she hadn't eaten since tryouts. She stood up and walked back to her room to get her wallet.

Reaching her dorm, she felt a twinge of disappointment as she saw the empty room, shaking her head she thought, _why do I feel this way? What he does is none of my business!_ Letting out a frustrated sigh, she grabbed her stuff and headed out, crashing into Kira when she walked out.

"Oh sorry…oh hi! Caleb right?" Kira said, his amethyst eyes sparkling. Cagalli smiled and nodded. "I was going out to grab a bite, want to come?" Cagalli asked without much thought. She surprised herself when she asked him, inviting someone she didn't know wasn't well the way she rolls. But somehow it just seem strangely normal for her to invite him, she couldn't put a finger on it. It was like déjà vu, only it didn't exactly fit into that category.

"Sure! I know a place that I think you'll like it!" Kira said to Cagalli's surprise. Cagalli nodded as she fell into step with Kira. "Kira, I was just curious as to how come there's a female toilet in a boys dormitory," She asked.

Kira chuckled as he replied, "It's for the dorm mistress. Headmaster Durandal thinks that we will behave better if a female was in charge. I have no idea where he got that ludicrous idea from. I think she's an old hag with a horrible perm job." He said shaking his head in disgust. Cagalli laughed as she pictured the woman she saw outside the toilet as she replied, "I think she looks more like a bull-dog with a poodle for her hair." Kira erupted in laughter at her description. "I guess you're right! Man I have to tell the guys this! They'll get such a kick out of it!" Kira said wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. Cagalli giggled as they walked to the eatery exchanging stories about their schools, she talking about Emirates while Kira introduced ZAFT to her. In no time at all they arrived at an eatery called – _The Haunt._

They were still chatting when their food arrived; both had ordered fish and chips which she was pleasantly surprised to know that it was both their favourite. Halfway through the meal, group of teenagers entered. One of the girls had black hair with golden highlights while another had red hair. Her mind instantly thought of Kayla and one of her best friends – Cheryl. She felt the same hollowness that had attacked her after she had ended her phone call with Kayla struck again. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't noticed that Kira had been calling her name a few times. She finally snapped out of her funk when he tapped her hand. She glanced up with a start as Kira looked at her concerned, "Is something wrong?" He asked. Cagalli managed a small smile and shook her head, sneaking a glance at the group of teenagers that was seated diagonally from her table. Her heart somehow sank lower as she ate her food mechanically. Kira noticing her sudden silence and her frequent glances to group of teenagers finally asked. "Do you know them? You keep looking over." Cagalli blinked her eyes as she stopped chewing on the French fry in her mouth. "N-No." She said swallowing her fry. Kira pressed on. "Then they must have reminded you of someone back home? Are you homesick?" He guessed. Cagalli's orange eyes widened as Kira hit the jackpot. "How did you know? Are you psychic or something?" She asked in awe. Kira chuckled as he shrugged. "I guess I just know. Weird huh? Maybe I'm discovering my hidden abilities." Kira smiled wryly as Cagalli snorted. "Ya, they reminded me of my cousin and best friend back home. I've been here for all but two glorious days and I'm already homesick. Pretty stupid huh?" She said shaking her head. Kira looked at her before replying,

"I don't think it's stupid. It's perfectly normal to feel homesick. I mean just because we're guys doesn't mean we have to act tough all the time. We're still human. And let me tell you something. But you have to swear never to tell anyone this ok?" Kira said as he leaned forward. Cagalli leaned closer as she nodded. Kira looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping as he said in a low voice. "When I first came to ZAFT, I cried for three nights straight because I miss home." Cagalli nodded with all the seriousness she could muster without smiling, no doubt failing miserably since Kira insisted. "I'm not kidding! It's true!"

_Yeah right_ she thought. Kira Yamato one of ZAFT's most popular, good-looking and smartest student is confessing that he is a closet crybaby. Pardon her if she finds it hard to believe. "Whatever you say Kira, thanks I feel a lot better now," Cagalli said her voice heavy with sarcasm. Kira chuckled as he said, "You know you're the first person I ever told this to, I never told anyone this, not even Athrun. I was scared that they'll laughed and teased me. You're very easy to talk to Caleb." Kira added thoughtfully. Cagalli raised her eyebrows. "Same here, I got a feeling we're going to be good friends," she said grinning as Kira beamed brightly as he agreed.

"Caleb," Kira said on a more serious note. "It's ok to be homesick. No one expects you to be infallible. If you ever get homesick again just do what I do – Go for a long run and think of the good things that you have now. I find that the worst thing you could do is to dig out pictures or items that remind you of home, it just makes it harder for you to see what you have now. OK Caleb? Besides if you ever need someone to talk to. I'm always here," Kira said smiling. Cagalli smiled genuinely thinking what she ever did to deserve such a wonderful friend. "Thank you Kira, thank you," she said sincerely. "No problem, c'mon I think it's time to go. It's already 9 plus. If we don't hurry we're going to be lock out of ZAFT!" Kira said standing up and throwing the money on the table as Cagalli was about to do the same, Kira stopped her. "It's ok! My treat seeing how down you are! No arguments! That's final!" Kira said firmly as Cagalli opened her mouth to protest. Somehow Cagalli felt that she shouldn't argue, like it seem second nature for Kira to pay for her. Normally she would argue about paying her share until the other party relents. She did not like to be in debt to others. She shook her head for the umpteen times that day at the ridiculous train of thoughts that seem to be getting more and more bizarre.

Cagalli and Kira rounded a corner when Kira pulled her into an alleyway. "K-Kira where are you going?" Cagalli asked. "It's a shortcut, if we take this alleyway it would save us at least five minutes. C'mon," Kira said as he walked forward. She looked at the dark alleyway and immediately felt uneasy. It was like something out of a movie where the two unsuspecting persons would be debating about entering the alleyway and the whole cinema will go "Don't go in there!" and cursing at the foolishness of the dim-witted leads when they entered the alley. "C'mon Caleb! Are you just going to stand there?" Kira said he was already a few steps ahead of her. Cagalli nodded as she moved forward. She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck prickling slightly giving her an ill-omened feeling that they were being watched. "I-I think we should go the long way. I don't have a good feeling about this." No sooner had the words left her lips, she felt an arm choking her as she let out a strangled scream and her blood ran ice-cold.

"Shut up boy," a voice hissed behind her sending her skin crawling as she tried desperately to free herself. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kira struggling and having as much success as her. They were ambushed by two crooks. Her heart pounded as she tried frantically to recall what she had been taught back at Emirates where she attended self-defense classes. "Stop struggling or you'll regret it." The voice growled behind her. She gasped as she felt cold steel pressing up against her back. She obeyed as she saw Kira doing the same.

"Good. Take out your wallet. And don't try anything funny." A hoarse voice said behind Kira. The alleyway was too dark to make out their assailants. The only light came from the crescent moon shining above them.

After the initial shock rubbed off, Cagalli's mind became strangely calm and focused. She suddenly remembered what her self-defense teacher had said in class,

"_When you're attacked from behind with a weapon pressed against you, DO NOT PANIC. Remain calm and be on the lookout for any opportunity to strike. When it comes, elbowed him in the guts (the teacher demonstrated on a volunteer) and when he loosen his hold, twist yourself and slammed your knee in his groin and by then he'll probably be in so much pain so you end his misery by dealing a final blow to the back of his neck. It should knock him out cold and then you run for help."_

Recalling the lesson and knowing what she must do, her eyes lost its fear replaced only by courage. She glanced at Kira, she wanted so badly to signal him her plan. _God, I wish I had ESP or something_.

"Do it now!" the voice roared as Cagalli felt the blade pressing harder into her, she gritted her teeth as she felt a slight pain, no doubt the blade had drew blood. By the weak moonlight, she caught Kira's eyes and something transmitted between them. She knew in that instant that Kira was in on her plan. Hesitatingly, she took out her wallet and held it up. As the man reached for it, he removed the blade from her back. She knew that was the opportunity.

Reacting quickly, she dropped her wallet and followed what the teacher had taught. She elbowed him in the guts when he bent over Cagalli kneed him in the groin, hard, as the man howled in pain. She ended it with a final blow to the back of his neck, knocking him out. Just as she was about to congratulate herself for a job well done, she heard a cry behind her.

Whirling around, she saw Kira on the ground kneeling over. The assailant looked at him and then to her, his face ghostly pale as the faint moonlight. Cagalli let her body take over as she aimed a flying kick at him, knocking him backwards. She did not allow him a chance to recover as she punched him in his face and kneed him in his groin and finished off with an uppercut that slammed his head against the wall behind him, he slide down unconscious. She panted as adrenaline continued to course through her veins. Realizing that Kira was still on the ground, she quickly ran to his side. Cagalli's blood ran cold the second time that night as the pounding in her ears increased. Turning him over and placing his head on her lap, she looked at Kira who was breathing heavily. She lay a hand on his abdomen and felt something wet, she knew immediately that it was blood. Looking around frantically for help she felt tears prickling behind her eyes. "Oh god, oh god. Kira hang in there," She said trying to keep the fear out of her voice as she took out her cell phone, her hands still shaking as she fumbled with the numbers before pressing it to her ear as she called for ambulance. _Cagalli get a hold of yourself, Kira needs you_ she thought as she told the operator the vital details in a shaking voice; she ended the call with the ambulance five minutes away.

She glanced down at Kira who was filtering in and out of consciousness. Kira looked up at her as he said weakly, "Caleb, I-I…" Kira never finished the sentence as his head and body went limp. The tears finally broke through.

"Kira…Kira…come on don't die on me…"Cagalli sobbed as she bent down covering Kira's face with her blond hair as her tears fell on his face.

* * *

Thanks for reading!!:)))

I have nothing against bull dogs and poodles.

Personally i think this chapter is quite bizzare with so many weirdness in it so i think i should explain that Kira and Cagalli though they might not have known they are twins...they do have a strong and somewhat curious bond the way that some twins do (like when one twin broke her foot the other one feels the pain in the same spot even though they were far apart) so they are able to have what i call 'superpowers' in this fic. Which i hope will explain much of the bizzareness of this chapter. It'll get better!:)

Remember to review i'll really appreciate your thoughts on this chapter...

-coolios


	4. Chapter 4: Truth:One, Secret:Zero

Hello! Chapter 4 finally up...phew! Please enjoy it!

Thanks once again to all my reviewers!! Esp PinakaFaltizan and Hades. Throne. Heiress who spotted my serious faus pax can't believe i managed to overlook it despite reading it 3-4 times somehow it didn't registered in my head. So thank you! Plz review!:)

I do not own Gundam SEED franchise

Inspired(not so much) by the Shakespearen play - Twelfth Night or (more) Hana Kimi or (a lot more)She's the man and (a bit) of High School Muscial 2 all jumble together:)

Oh ya i would like to shout out to Cagalli Leong: jiayou for monday! No sweat!:)

ENJOY!!:))

* * *

Cagalli was still in a state of shock as she arrived in the hospital with Kira. She vaguely remembered giving her statement to the police and the medics fussing over her. All she could think of was Kira. She slumped in the hospital seat while waiting for news on Kira holding her head in her hands as tears trickled down her face silently. Amidst her confusion, she could not explain why Kira's injury was affecting her so badly. Sure he was nice, understanding and good friend despite only meeting him yesterday. That could only explain part of the emotional turmoil inside of her. There was something else that she could not make sense of was the feeling that if Kira should die, a part of her will die along with him. She shook her head, clearing those thoughts.

The door opened and a doctor came out and approached her. "Your friend's fine. It was lucky that the knife did not penetrate any vital organs and was not that deep. He lost quite some blood but other than that nothing to worry about. He should be able to leave in a week or maybe less than that." The doctor said smiling at her.

Cagalli sighed with relief; she felt a pressure lifting off her heart. "Thank you, can I visit him?" She asked wearliy. The doctor replied that the anesthesia had not worn off but she could visit him. Cagalli thanked the doctor and numbly made her way to Kira's room. Kira was lying peacefully on the bed with nothing but an IV drip connected to him._ Good. No life support or oxygen mask._ She heaved another sigh of relief as she sat in the plastic chair next to him. Holding his hand in hers, she felt a wave of emotions rushing through her as her eyes burned with tears. When it finally became too much for her to bear, she let it out as she buried her head in the blanket covering Kira, it was the first time she cried herself to sleep.

* * *

"Uhm…where am I? " Kira said groggily as he cracked open his eyes. Glancing around, he realized that he was in a hospital. He shut his eyes again, trying to recall the events the night before. Realizing with a start, he jerked up as the door opened revealing a nurse.

"Son! What are you doing? You can't move yet!" She said in alarm as she gently pushed him back on the bed. Kira relented as he was hit by a spinning spell the minute his head left the pillows. "That's better," The nurse said as she checked his vitals. Kira finally noticed Cagalli who was hunched over his side the top of her head brushing the side of his thighs; she was still holding his hand. He smiled as he gently pried his hand from hers.

"You're really lucky to have a girlfriend like her. She hadn't left your side since you came in, she must be very worried about you, I heard her crying yesterday night," The nurse smiled as she looked at Cagalli's sleeping form. Kira smiled as he absent-mindedly stroked her hair.

_Eh! _He realized with a shock that there was something very wrong that the nurse's comments. "What? No! She's- He's not my girlfriend! I mean she no I mean he's a boy!" he exclaimed. The nurse's chuckled as she said, "Sonny, that's not very nice to say. I know that she dressed like a tomboy, but I can assure you that your friend here is one hundred percent female. I've been a nurse long enough, trust me." With that, she turned and left the room leaving Kira to ponder over her words. Kira turned his attention to the sleeping blond. _A girl? That's impossible! _He thought biting his lower lip _Then again, it's not that far-fetched…_ He examined him/her closer. _I suppose there is one way to find out_ he thought blushing.

Hesitating, he slid his hand between the bed and his/her chest. He cautiously moved his hand as his amethyst eyes grew larger. He pulled his hand away as if he got scalded, staring at blond as his breathing grew shallow.

Oh god.

Kira became flustered as he realized that the nurse was right. _Damn, what do I do now?_ Part of him wanted to ask her why the hell was she doing dressing like a boy another part just wanted to keep her secret. He contemplated as Caleb or whatever her real name was stirred. _Oh shit, I just molested her_ he thought as his cheeks heated up. He quickly wiped away the shock on his face as the girl beside him woke up rubbing the sleep from her eyes. It was then that his decision was made.

"Good morning Caleb! Had a good rest?" Kira asked smiling. Cagalli looked around blur before sluggishly replying "Mmm…" He let out a small chuckle; she was obviously not a morning person. His eyes softened as he noticed her bloodshot eyes and the faint hint of the tear tracks as some of her hair was plastered to her face and recalled another part of the conversation he had with the nurse,

"…_She hadn't left your side since you came in, she must be very worried about you. I heard her crying yesterday night,"_

He felt a twinge of guilt as he realized how much he must had put her through. _I think I will keep her secret until she tells me of her own accord or when the right time comes_ he decided. Cagalli blinked as her mind started to process the events that happened so far, her eyes widened as she exclaimed, "Oh my god Kira! You really scared me! Don't ever do that again! I was so terrified! Thank God you're ok!" He looked at her with raised eyebrows. _Oh my god? Don't ever do it again? I was so terrified? Damn there's no doubt that Caleb's a girl. She ought to be more careful. _He thought frowning slightly.

"Oh my god? You sound like a girl, did the crooks take your manliness too?" He teased. Cagalli's orange orbs widened as she realized her slip up. "Oh…um no! I mean Man! You give me scare dude!" She said in the deepest voice she could muster as she punched him on his arm. Kira winced slightly as she hastily apologized, "I'm sorry! You want a drink?" She stood up quickly to get him a drink even before he replied as her face turned red.

As she poured the water into the glass, the hospital room door swung opened as three boys rushed in heading for Kira. The force at which the door opened startled her as she sloshed water over the floor. Looking up irritatingly, she saw Athrun and the two other boys she recognized as the ones with Athrun during the tryouts crowding around Kira's bed.

"Kira! Are you trying to give us a heart attack?" The blond-haired said accusingly. Kira smiled apologetically at him, "Sorry Dearka."

"We rushed over as soon as we heard the news. What happened?" Athrun demanded, his brows creased with worry. Cagalli stood at the corner as Kira recollected the ordeal as his friends listened gravely.

"…and Caleb here was really the man of the show. He took on both thugs single-handedly!" Kira finished as the three boys turned to face her finally registered that they were not alone. Cagalli shifted her foot awkwardly, she felt uncomfortable under their scrutiny. When she finally couldn't take their scrutiny she said with annoyance, "Would you stop staring? It wasn't much."

"Wasn't much?" Dearka echoed in disbelief "Caleb my man! You just took on two thugs and saved Kira's sorry ass! You're going to be a hero back in ZAFT!" Dearka laughed as he slapped Cagalli on her back knocking the wind out of her slightly. The silver-haired boy who had been silent since they entered spoke up, "We're glad you're ok, Athrun over-reacted and practically kidnapped us here," he said shooting Athrun an icy glare. "He even cancelled volleyball training today." The silver-haired continued.

"What?" Kira yelped. "Athrun don't be an ass! Competition is coming up soon we need to practice. You cannot be making rash decisions." Kira scolded his friend. "I'm sorry but then how was I supposed to remain cool and carry on training while my friend lying in the hospital? Do you know how worried I was?" Athrun shot back with a hint of panic in his voice. Kira's glare thawed as he replied, "Athrun I know how worried you were, but still you should not make hasty decisions, we didn't vote you captain because of your spikes, we vote for you because you're the most level-headed person and always make the right choices for the team. And this is not a wise decision." Athrun stared at him before replying curtly, "Fine then, training starts as soon as you're out. I expect you to be there Kira, just because you're injured do not make you entitled, you'll be on ball pick up duty." Kira smiled as he replied, "I wouldn't have it any other way captain."

"You people are so strange. I have no idea why I am friends with you all," The silver-haired boy said shaking his head. "Aw…c'mon Yzak! You know you love us!" Dearka said grinning, as he slung an arm over Yzak's shoulder. Yzak twitched as he shook Dearka's arm off him. "Shut up Elsman! Save your sweet talk for the girls." Yzak said darkly. "Aw…Yzak-kun don't be like that. I know that somewhere deep inside you really love us to death," Dearka teased, obviously enjoyed poking fun at his friend. Yzak shot him a disgusted look as he retorted back, "I rather be stuck with the old witch hag that be with you!" As the boys laughed, Cagalli felt a bit lost since she could not find the humor in Yzak's words. Kira sensing her confusion explained that the old witch hag referred to a girl that was heavily crushing on Yzak that he had not interest in what so ever. Cagalli nodded as she laughed politely still not getting the humor in it.

'Excuse me! Do you mind? We have other patients here as well! And no more than three persons allowed in here!" A rather stern-looking nurse said as she popped in glancing around distastefully. "Yes madam," Athrun said politely. "We were just leaving." The nurse hrumphed and left the room. Turning to Kira, he said, "Well, we'll see you again tomorrow. Get plenty of rest." Kira smiled as Dearka and Yzak said their well-wishes too. Athrun hesitated as he looked at him; he made a sudden motion that if Cagalli was not mistaken looks as if he wanted to touch Kira but then decided to ruffle his blue hair and nod instead.

"Coming Caleb? You need to rest considering what you went through yesterday," Athrun said. Cagalli hesitated. She did not want to leave yet, she wanted to take care of Kira. Somehow she felt a sense of responsibility towards him. She looked from the three boys who were already at the door and then at Kira. "Caleb-Caleb? Are you alright?"Athrun said noticing the paleness in her and the wild look in her eyes. Cagalli looked at him shaking off the confusing feeling. _No I have no obligations or responsibilities towards Kira. I don't need to be here._ She told herself firmly as she nodded and wished Kira well before departing with the three boys, her mind still trying to make sense of the perplexing feelings and events.

* * *

Cagalli was still in deep thoughts when she and Athrun entered their room, she absent-mindedly shifted some clothes and books on the table when she heard a soft 'thud' that snapped her out of her thoughts. Looking down, she saw her sleek black wallet lying innocently on the floor. She blinked in astonishment, _Didn't I brought my wallet out yesterday?_ She thought back on yesterday events. She must have in her haste grabbed her cardholder instead, not surprising since both looked the same. She cursed inwardly at her friends who bought her the matching set for her birthday. She heaved a sigh of relief as she realized that the cardholder had no monetary value in it except for pictures of her and her friends in Emirates - pictures of her as a girl. She gasped as she dashed out of her dorm. Cussing at her foolishness of bringing the incriminating evidence, she ignored Athrun yells of where she was going as she ran back to the alleyway. She panted as she retraced her steps, it was hard to imagine in the bright sunlight that she was in mortal danger in this very place yesterday; she gave an involuntary shudder as she searched for her cardholder. "Where is it?" she mumbled as she scanned the brightly lit alleyway.

"What are you looking for?"a voice said behind her. Cagalli whirled around in shock as she came face to face with Athrun. "My-my er…cardholder…"She said, "Don't just stand there help me!" Athrun nodded as he searched for the cardholder. She and Athrun combed every inch of the alleyway but still they could not find it. She was getting quite agitated by the passing second. "I can't find it," Athrun said finally as he came beside her. "Don't stop looking! It's got to turn up sooner or later," Cagalli said, refusing to resign to the fact that the pictures were lost for good. Athrun looked at her as he nodded and went back looking for it. As time passes, Cagalli could feel the hope of finding her pictures dimming as she searched the same places over and over again. Finally, she conceded defeat after a near one hour search in the alleyway.

Cagalli looked up seeing Athrun who was looking behind some cardboard boxes someone had inconsiderately disposed of. "Athrun! Forget it! I don't think it's here anymore. Someone must have taken it," she called walking towards Athrun. "Is it valuable?" He inquired as he stopped looking. She shook her head, "Just some pictures that's all. It's ok I can replace it." She said smiling feebly. Athrun nodded as they made their way back to ZAFT in silence.

"I haven't thank you for saving Kira," Athrun said breaking the silence as they entered ZAFT compound. Cagalli's head snapped up at his words. "It's ok, he's my friend too," She replied automatically. "No…I mean yes. I know he's your friend. Don't get me wrong or anything. Because Kira has been my best friend since we were in pre-school. I mean Dearka and Yzak are great but it has always been Kira that I've turn to. I'm just very grateful to you that you save him," Athrun said smiling at her. Cagalli looked at him in new perspective; she was seeing the other side of him - the sensitive side. She felt her heart doing the skipping thing again. _Maybe I judge him too soon…_

"I remembered when I first met him in pre-school. He was crying because some of the kids were bullying him and I took care of them for him," Athrun said with a hint of pride in his voice. Cagalli smiled as Athrun continued talking about his childhood with Kira, she laughed at the crazy antics they did as kids. Her heart fluttered in her chest as she looked at him. Maybe it's the way his emerald eyes sparkled when he talked about him and Kira. Or maybe it's the way his blue hair ruffle in the air and landing softly back in its position when a gush of wind blew across, even nature loves him. Or maybe it was the dazzling goofy lazy smile that seem to spread almost effortlessly across his face it could melt even the hardest of hearts. Or maybe it was the way he made her feel all warm and tingling like the taste of a delicious scoop of chocolate fudge sundae she loves so much when he was talking to her like there was only her in his gorgeous eyes. Or maybe it's was the intensity he searched for her wallet knowing well that it wasn't there but just continued searching because she stubbornly refused to admit that it was lost. Or maybe it was the uncontested concern he showed to Kira in the hospital, forgoing practice to visit his best friend. Whatever it was, Cagalli knew from the slight bounce in her step to the smile that she could not wipe from her face to the fact she could not take her eyes off him that she was slowly but surely falling for Athrun Zala.

This is going to complicate things.

* * *

"OK everyone! Warm up run!" Athrun called as the volleyball team assembled for their pre-practice run. It was a few days after since the ordeal and like what Dearka had predicted, Cagalli became an overnight celebrity, apparently saving one of ZAFT's hottest star put her top of the popular list. So far she had been chased, screamed at, assaulted by and confessed to by the majority of ZAFT's female population. That was not the worst part, she had so many fan girls worshipping on the ground she walked on that she had some of her clothes stolen when she send it for laundry. Her patience finally snapped when she realized that her favourite green t-shirt had become the latest victim of her fan girls' rampage, which could probably explain the dark and pissed-off mood she was in during her first volleyball practice. The fact that the bleaches were filled with giggling and ditzy fan girls did not help her mood at all.

They started off with a run something that she never did back in Emirates, she remembered her coach saying that it was a waste of time to run before training when they should be playing volleyball instead. In fact this was not the only thing that differs from her old routine. The training techniques employed by Coach Mwu were something that Cagalli had never tried before. For example, at ZAFT they had 3-on-3 rotation play where there will be three players on each sides and each player can only set, dig and spike the ball once. When they had done all three they will leave the court and another person will replace the person. It was fast and Cagalli realized that though it sounds simple enough it was quite difficult as you got to be on your toes every time, it forces you to work together and gives you a chance to employ all three techniques. _Simple and effective_ Cagalli thought as she stepped out of the court after she had finished. Of course there was the usual like working on the spike aiming by trying to knock the targets down placed at the opposite court. Coach Mwu had them played two sets before calling it a day.

Cagalli sat on the bench as she quenched her thirst, loving the cool water that soothed her dry throat. Despite quite a packed training, she felt invigorated from experiencing the ZAFT style of training and partly also due to the fact the vampire-Shinn was not present, she listened carefully as Coach Mwu debriefed them, pointing out each individual mistake, _No wonder ZAFT's volleyball team is the best in Orb. They really got a top-notch coach._ Cagalli thought in admiration as she compared Coach Mwu to her old coach. Sure the Emirates coach points out mistakes too but only in general sense and the obvious and glaring mistakes like not being in receiving positions or staying stationary in one spot when the ball was coming towards their side of the court. Whereas Coach Mwu points out specific mistakes like how you seem to be always hitting the ball in one direction and not controlling the direction of the ball to go where you want it to. Or that slight split second hesitation of deciding to employ overhead pass or dig under it, something that unless someone had been looking closely would probably have missed it. Cagalli couldn't help but admit that Coach Mwu made her old coach look like an inexperienced old fart.

"…Ok team, that's all! Last cheer!" Coach Mwu shouted as he held his hand out. The team followed suit including Cagalli. She turned her head out of the circle, trying her best not to gag from the smell and the heat emitting from the other boys. _Man! They stink worse than skunks and old gym socks put together!_ Cagalli thought in disgust as she held her breath. "1...2...3!" Coach Mwu shouted as the team responded "ZAFT volleyball champs!" as they pushed their hands down after "champs".

The last cheer was not only dismissal from training but also an indication for the fan girls to swarm down. In a matter of seconds, the gaggle of girls was surrounding the boys. Cagalli rolled her eyes and was about to pick up her bag when three girls approached her. Cagalli glared at them, her poor missing green t-shirt was still fresh in her mind. The three girls were blushing and nudging each other as they looked shyly at her. Cagalli felt her tolerance level reaching her limit as she finally snapped at them, "Can I help you? Or are you going to stand there idiots?" The three girls looked at each other before one of them bravely stepped forward.

"H-Hi! I'm Isabella and I-I mean WE want you to have this! Please accept it!" the girl said as she thrust out a nicely wrapped box that Cagalli deduced held chocolates. Cagalli stared at it, not knowing whether to accept or decline. As she stammered out, "Um…er…well…" Kira who was watching the scene unfold before his eyes was amused by Cagalli's reaction, he decided to help the poor girl out.

"Caleb, just take it!" Kira said lightly. The girls squealed when they saw Kira, Cagalli blinked at him in shock as she accepted the gift hesitatingly. "Um…Thanks. Oh by the way? Have you seen my green t-shirt? I seem to be missing a couple of clothes," Cagalli said smiling slightly as she seized the moment to inquire about the missing clothes. The three girls squealed again as they nodded. "Yes! Yes! We'll pass it to you the next training! See you again Caleb-kun!" Isabella giggled it was obvious that she was over the moon that Cagalli had accepted, smiled and talked to her. The there of them bowed as they ran towards another group of girls apparently they were the scouts send by the mother ship to test Cagalli's reaction. The group squealed loudly as they giggled and blushed, frequently looking at Cagalli squealing every time she looked at them. Cagalli swore if they don't stop squealing, she'll personally ripped their vocal cords out and use it to gag them.

"Looks like you got a fan club!" Kira said amused. Cagalli glared at him. "You're lucky I don't hit injured people," She said darkly. Kira chuckled as Athrun, Yzak and Dearka who had managed to extract themselves from the girls, joined them. "Ooo…looks like Caleb is officially one of us now!" Dearka teased as he noticed the box of chocolates in Cagalli's hands. Cagalli scowled at him, "Either you shut up or I shut your mouth for you!" Cagalli threatened as she waved a fist at him. She was sick of the teasing.

Athrun laughed as he said, "Chill Caleb! We're going into town. Join us?" Cagalli nodded, the last thing she wanted was to be stuck in the same place with a ton of hormone-craze girls. She was heading for the exit when Athrun grabbed her arm sending a jolt through her. "Where are you going? Changing room this way," he said inclining his head in the opposite direction. Cagalli heart rate tripled as she tried to think of a good reason why she cannot change with more than a dozen boys._ Think think THINK!_ She willed herself silently.

"Um…er…I got to put this back in the dorm, I'll se you outside the school gate!" She lied as she tried to free herself form Athrun's grip. "C'mon Caleb, the dorm is so far away. Just bring it along. It's not very big," Dearka piped in. _Ok strike one. Another reason…_

"Um…I forgot to bring…my clothes! Ya! I got to go back to the dorm!" Cagalli lied again, praying that they'll believe her. The three boys exchanged looks before Yzak cut in. "Just borrow mine; I got a spare in the locker." _Strike two! C'mon another one!_

Cagalli was drawing up a blank and was seriously considering fainting or the oldest trick in the book: "Look! A dancing monkey wearing a tutu behind!" to get out of there.

Kira at that point interrupted. "Oh I forgot! While you were having practice, a student came in and said that Caleb was supposed to meet the headmaster." Four pair of eyes looked at him. Cagalli at that point was staring in sheer adoration at her savior she would have kissed him if not for the fact that she was a boy.

"Oh bummer, guess we'll have to meet you at the entrance instead then," Dearka said as Athrun released her. As the three of them left for the changing room Cagalli heaved a huge sigh of relief. She turned to Kira. "Do you know what the headmaster wants to see me for?" she asked. Kira looked at her with raised eyebrows and said, "Huh? The headmaster wants to see you?" Cagalli looked at him confused. Didn't he just say it? "You say that a student came to find me because headmaster wanted to see me," she said wondering if he took a blow to the head as well when they were attacked.

"I did? Oh ya. I meant to say that a student came and asked me about you because the headmaster wanted to know how you were doing. Guess it must have come out wrong just now. Nothing to worry about," Kira said patting Cagalli on her shoulder as he walked away, leaving Cagalli gaping at his retreating figure.

_Ohhhh-kay_…

* * *

Did you enjoy this chapter? I took quite long to write it...yups

More volleyball action here! Can u tell that i'm not a volleyballer? i just based it loosely on my own canoeing training. I get most of the action from tv or my schools where volleyball is quite a big deal esp in my sec sch...if not i invent most of the techniques and actions here:)

Sorry some of the weirdness spillover in this chapter...heh. Anyway if you don't understand some parts of the chapter plz feel free to ask i will try my best to answer them cuz i think there maybe some parts that may need a little explanation and more dwelling.

So please review i would really like to hear your thoughts on this chapter thankew!

-coolios


	5. Chapter 5: It's a deal, unfortunately

* * *

Hello!!!! 5th chapter up! Are you excited????:)))

Once again thank you to all my reviewers! You guys rocks! Please continue to support my fic by reviewing!! Thank you!

Once again I do not own Gundam SEED franchise....i know so sad...

Inspired(not so much) by the Shakespearen play - Twelfth Night or (more) Hana Kimi or (a lot more)She's the man and (a wee bit) Toy story all jumble together:)

ENJOY!!:))

* * *

The school year starts today and Cagalli couldn't believe that she managed a month in ZAFT without being discovered. "Scoot over!" Athrun said as he nudged Cagalli out of the way as he adjusts his uniform in front of the mirror. She felt her heart fluttered as she stared at him through the mirror. _God, he looked so damn good in the uniform._ Athrun raised his eyebrows when he noticed Cagalli staring at him, she snapped out of her trance as her cheeks tinged with pink. She hastily picked up her bag and went out the room.

"Wait up Caleb!" Athrun called as he grabbed his backpack and chased after Cagalli.

"What's the rush?" he asked when he caught up with her.

"Nothing, just didn't want to be late for the first period," she replied as they walked to their classroom. Apparently, by some stroke of either good or bad luck which ever way you see, they were in the same class.

When they entered the classroom, the girls squealed when they saw both of them walking into class. Cagalli resisted the urge to do an eye roll as she plonked down on an empty chair. Athrun took the seat next to her, the minute he sat down the girls swarmed over to him. She snorted, as she thanked god that they grew tired of her, but somehow they never grew tired of Athrun, She felt like the guy who wrote the Macarena… a one-hit wonder and Athrun was like David Foster still churning out hits after hits. She couldn't help but feel annoyed at both the fan girls and Athrun.

"Hi! Is this seat taken?" a sweet voice asked. Cagalli looked up, her eyes narrowing at the pink-haired girl. "No," she replied coldly and turned away. The pink-haired girl raised her eyebrows at the coldness as she sat down.

"Oh! I'm Lacus by the way. I forgot to introduce myself that day," the girl said smiling at Cagalli. Cagalli's topaz eyes widened as she shook her hand. "Oh! I'm sorry I thought you were…ah never mind! Hi! I haven't seen you since that day I bumped into you," Cagalli said smiling. Lacus beamed, obviously pleased that Cagalli remembered her. "I'm Caleb by the way," Cagalli introduced. Lacus giggled "I know, you became quite a household name when you saved Kira Yamato," she said. "Oh I almost forgot you ran away so fast that day that I never told you that _Rouge23 _doesn't carry that bracelet anymore. But if you don't mind I can go shopping with you for your cousin's gift, if her birthday is not over yet." She offered.

Cagalli blinked at her, slightly clueless as she racked her brain. "Oh ya," she remembered "Um no…it's ok." Lacus looked slightly crestfallen as she said, "Oh, I don't have any other intentions, it's just that I know how difficult it is for boys to buy presents for girls, so I just thought that I could help…" Cagalli felt a bit guilty at the slightly down look on Lacus's face. "Well…I suppose I can take you up on your offer, I mean I don't mind getting my cousin a present," Cagalli said as she thought of Kayla who had helped her so much, she deserved a little something. Lacus's sapphire eyes brightened as she smiled, "Really? OK then how about after school? Today's the first day and there usually isn't much to do." Lacus said cheerfully. Cagalli shrugged as she nodded, there wasn't volleyball training anyway. 'Sure, why not? I meet you after school at the school gate then," she said. Lacus nodded as the teacher walked in. Cagalli sighed as she turned her attention to the teacher. The school year had officially begun.

* * *

"Caleb!" Athrun said as they finished lessons and was now heading for the cafeteria, she looked at the blue-headed male with a questioned look. "How did you know Lacus?" Athrun asked. Cagalli blinked, "Oh, I met her on my first day at ZAFT, why?"

"Nothing, so what did you guys talked about?" Athrun asked casually – too casually. Cagalli frowned at him, she felt that there was more than just plain curiosity in that question. Looking ahead as they rounded a corner and reached the cafeteria she answered, "Nothing much, she just offered to help choose my cousin's present after school."

"Hey Athrun! Caleb! Over here!" Dearka's voice resounded over the noisy cafeteria.

"Later? As in you and her…alone?" Athrun said with a slight disbelief in his voice.

"Who's going out? You? Or you?" Dearka asked pointing to Athrun and then to Cagalli as they both sat down at the table with Dearka, Kira and Yzak. "Why are you making such a big who-ha out of it?" Cagalli demanded.

"Because Lacus doesn't just go out with any guy, of course it's a big deal," Athrun said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. The rest of the group stared at her.

"You got a date with Lacus? _The_ Lacus Clyne?" Yzak asked in awe. Cagalli glared at him. "What is it with you guys and Lacus Clyne? Why is it so hard to believe that I'm going out with her?' she burst out angrily.

"So you admit that you're dating her," Athrun said accusingly. Cagalli could have skin him alive, "No I am not dating her! She's just helping me pick my cousin's gift, unless you guys want to accompany me instead?" Cagalli retorted looking at the guys. The boys shook their heads quickly. "I thought so," Cagalli muttered darkly as she chewed on her pasta.

"So…do you like her?" Dearka asked inquisitively, Cagalli shot him a weird look, _God no! I'm not a lesbian!_

"No. Of course not! I see her as a friend only," she said.

"You got to be kidding right? I mean she's like the poster girl for the ideal girlfriend! Sweet, pretty, kind and talented…she's flawless! How can you not like her?" Dearka said in astonishment.

Cagalli snorted, "Yeah right, you're just exaggerating. Don't tell me you all like her?" She added sarcastically as the four boys exchanged looks.

Cagalli's eyebrows shot up at the silence. "Oh my god, you all like her?" she said; now it was her turn to be astonish. They shrugged as Athrun spoke up. "Well yeah…but not in the overly-obsessive way, I mean we all just like her."

Cagalli felt her heart sink as she thought of Lacus and did a comparison with herself. _I don't even come close…_

"Ya,_ normal_ boys love her…you're abnormal! You're not gay are you?" Dearka asked as Yzak and Athrun looked at her with sudden curiosity, only Kira seemed more interested in the pasta he was eating, he didn't even look up.

Cagalli would have wrung his neck if not the fact that she was still digesting the information that Athrun _likes_ Lacus. "I'm not gay! She's just not my type," Cagalli hissed angrily as she glared at Dearka. "Not your type? How can that be? She's everyone type!" Dearka said looking at her incredulously.

"Um…well..."Cagalli started as she thought furiously of a good and credible reason without exposing herself when Kira piped in. "Hey! Did you guys know that Tolle Koenig and Mirialla Haww broke up? I heard it during maths class,"

Four pair of eyes look at him as Cagalli breathed a sigh of relief, once again Kira had come to her rescue. "Really? I haven't heard it yet…when they broke up?" Cagalli asked eager to steer the conversation in another direction. "I'm not really sure though, Dearka what about you? You should know something," Kira said turning to Dearka. Dearka shrugged, "What do I look like? ZAFT gossip channel?"

"Heads up! She's coming this way," Yzak said as he looked behind Dearka. Cagalli looked up and gave a short gasp as she instinctively duck down. _Shit…shit…shit…_ she chanted silently, her heart pounding. She saw three pair of legs that did not belong to the boys stopped at her table. She closed her eyes thinking that maybe if she prayed hard enough an escape pod will magically appeared next to her and she'll climb in and blast off to infinity and beyond.

"Caleb? What are you doing?" a voice asked. God is obviously on leave today.

She opened her eyes and was greeted by seven pair of eyes; she felt her cheeks heating up.

"Um…I dropped something…" she invented as she scanned the ground pretending to search for something. "Can't find it," she said as she straightened up reluctantly looking at the surprised amethyst eyes.

"You! What are-" Cagalli cursed under her breath as she interrupted quickly, "Hi! I'm Caleb Yula and I just transferred to ZAFT! I'm in the men's volleyball team! Nice to meet you! And you are?"

The brown-haired girl blinked as she tried to comprehend the words that tumbled out of Cagalli's mouth. "I'm-I'm Shiho Hahnenfuss," the girl said with a slight narrow of her eyes as Cagalli smiled weakly.

Shiho was still staring at Cagalli while the rest just stared at them. Cagalli moved quickly. "Well, is there anything I can help you with?" she prompted.

Shiho shook her head as she regained her composure. Smirking she turned to Yzak.

"Yzak, can you ask your little girlfriend to profess her love somewhere else? She was practically screaming her head off when she proclaimed her undying and deep as the deepest ocean love for you in the middle of the girls' dormitory," Shiho said as the table laughed.

Yzak turned a bright shade of red as he rebuked, "Shut the hell up Hahnenfuss! What that old witch hag does is none of my business!"

"Sure sure whatever you say _Yzzy darling_! Just remember not to scream the next time, the security guards thought that some girl was being assaulted," Shiho continued laughing.

"What are you talking about woman?!"

"Your _honey_ had been going around telling the whole girls' dorm what you did with her last Saturday…Tsk _Yzzy darling _I didn't know you were that desperate," Shiho smiled evilly, torturing Yzak was apparently her hobby. Which was not hard to see why, Yzak was awfully good to make fun of, his endless stupid comebacks and 'so-called witty' one-liners coupled with his anger issues makes him the ideal victim.

Yzak smirked at Shiho as he said, "Are you jealous Hahnenfuss? That I made out with that witch instead of you? That's it right?" Shiho rolled her eyes at him as she retorted, "Get real Joule, I won't do you even if you're the last man on Earth."

Amidst the laughter, Shiho turned her attention to Cagalli. "Well, I'm going to the library; I'll see you guys later." Cagalli nodded slightly as the three girls made their way out. She waited for a few minutes before following suit.

As she rounded the corner to the library, she felt someone grabbed her and pushed her against the wall. She flinched from the force.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" a voice demanded angrily.

"Nice to see you too Shiho," Cagalli said dryly.

"Mind explaining why my girl-friend turned into a boy-friend?" Shiho said as she crossed her arms.

Cagalli looked around, making sure they were alone before telling Shiho the whole story.

Shiho listened in amazement. "God, you're impossible Cagalli! It's a miracle that you haven't been discovered yet." She shook her head. "But what's done is done. Guess I'm on board Crazy Express." She sighed as Cagalli snickered, she hugged Shiho. It felt good to see a familiar face in ZAFT who knows that she's a girl.

"So? How's everyone back home?" Shiho asked when they pulled apart.

"Same ol' same ol'. Kayla misses you like nuts though, she was very upset when you had to leave," Cagalli said as they walked back to their classroom.

Shiho sighed as she looked forward. "Ya I know, I miss her too and everyone back at Emirates…"

"Why not visit them? I think there's a long weekend somewhere in the future, I can go with you if you want?" Cagalli smiled as Shiho's eyes lit up as she nodded. As both of them planned their trip to Emirates while they walked back.

* * *

_RING!!!!_

That sound was like music to Cagalli's ears. She stuffed her things into the bag and was about to leave when Athrun grabbed her arm and pulled her into an empty classroom.

"What the hell?" Cagalli half-shouted as Athrun let go of her.

"I'll make you a deal," he said, their faces inches away as Cagalli pressed up against the wall behind her. She felt herself swooning as she looked into the mesmerising green eyes.

"D-deal?" she managed to squeak out, she was very very very aware of how close they were.

"Yes, I'm not going to beat around the bush, I want you to get Lacus to go out with me," Athrun said as he rushed on the last part. Cagalli blinked at him, _someone had just ripped her heart out._

"You out with Lacus?" she said in a forced voice.

"Yes, I'll owe you one," Athrun continued as he pushed away from Cagalli.

"Don't you have Meer already?" Cagalli couldn't help asking.

"Um…well Meer is um…a- fling," Athrun said sheepishly.

_At least he had the decency to be ashamed _Cagalli thought as she looked at him.

"It's just that I like Lacus a lot" _and ran over her heart using a mammoth truck_ " and well Meer looks like her…and one thing leads to the next…" his face turning red slightly "I-I know it's wrong and I feel really bad so I broke off with Meer," he said hastily as Cagalli nodded numbly. She didn't hear anything else after _I like Lacus a lot._

"So? Will you? Help me with Lacus?" Athrun asked eagerly looking at Cagalli.

_No! I bloody hell will not help you Athrun Zala! I don't care if you hate me but I will not help you get Lacus! No girl in her right mind will help the guy she likes get another girl! No! No! No! No! No! NO! NO!_

"Yes of course," Cagalli heard herself answer _As if running over with a truck was not enough, someone had decided to use her heart as a dartboard as the sharp darts pierced her heart over and over again._

"You will? Thank you! I owe you big time dude! Now go you're supposed to meet her now. Put in a good word for me ok?" Athrun said happily. _The torture to her poor heart wasn't finished, now someone was using her heart as a punching bag_.This was cruel beyond all reasons.

She nodded numbly as Athrun gently nudged her out. She walked towards the school gate with a strange emptiness in her.

_He likes her…he likes her…no! He LOVES her…_

When she walked out the school gate and saw Lacus standing there, she felt a strong and overpowering hatred for the pink-headed lass. _Get a grip Cagalli! It's not her fault!_

"Hey! I was starting to think that you weren't coming!" Lacus said brightly when she saw Cagalli.

"Sorry, I was caught up in class," Cagalli said forcing a smile.

They took the bus to the nearest mall, on the way Cagalli made no effort at small talk so the whole trip was spent with Cagalli looking out the window while Lacus fidgeted beside her.

"Lacus, what do you think of Athrun?" She asked suddenly as they got off the bus.

Lacus looked slightly taken aback by her question; she frowned as Cagalli waited in pregnant silence.

"I think he's talented, smart and handsome," Lacus finally said. Cagalli shook her head.

"No, I don't mean what other people are saying, I mean what do you personally think of him, don't worry I'm not going to tell him," Cagalli assured.

Lacus looked at her, biting her lower lip.

"I don't really know him that well, so I can't really judge him. But I gathered from what I heard is that he's a playboy, arrogant and insensitive, basically your typical high school jock. Sorry, I know that you're he's friend. But I prefer guys that are more real and whom I can hold an intelligent conversation with. Someone who does not just see me as a trophy because of what I represent," Lacus said as she looked at Cagalli smiling slightly.

Cagalli despite her jealously for the girl smiled as she knew exactly what she means as she recalled Dearka's earlier words about Lacus.

"I know what you mean, you don't like guys that stereotype girls because of what they are or what they do," Cagalli said knowingly as she thought of Yunna that bastard.

Lacus looked at her with a peculiar expression. "Yes, that's what I meant! You're the first guy that got what I say. Most of them wouldn't take the time to know me fully. I mean I went out with guys like Athrun before - guys that think that the world revolves around them and that everyone worships at their feet. I got sick of it after a while," she said shaking her head.

"Athrun's not like that, He's just shy but he's really nice once you get to know him," Cagalli said automatically, somehow defending him came so easy.

"He's not? Next you're going to tell me that he being a playboy and snobbish are just a façade, in truth he is this sensitive and vulnerable boy that need a whole lot of tender loving care. Cliché much?" Lacus said raising her brows. Cagalli laughed at the words.

"Actually I was thinking more along the lines of sensitive new age arrogant volleyball captain." Lacus chuckled at her words.

Cagalli joined in, she felt that she and Lacus would be great and close friends if not for three facts.

One. Athrun likes her.

Two. She was to hate the pink-headed girl, I mean who would get chummy with the girl that might steal your man one day?

And three. She was supposed to be a boy now, she won't want any Lacus falling for her if they got too close.

"We're here! Let's see if we can get your cousin anything," Lacus said as Cagalli followed her into _Rouge23_.

* * *

"Wow! You really know how to shop!" Cagalli said as she crashed on the chair at the mall café. Lacus giggled as she put down her shopping bags.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Cagalli laughed at her words.

They had spent most of the afternoon shopping for Kayla's gift while Lacus did some shopping herself.

"I'll go and get us drinks, you want anything?" Cagalli asked as she stood up.

"Um…a Mocha latte will be nice, thanks!"

Cagalli nodded as she walked over to the counter. "One mocha latte and chocolate heaven please," Cagalli ordered as the guy behind the counter nodded and went away to prepare her drinks.

Cagalli leaned on the counter, drumming her fingers when she heard the voice she knew too well.

"Well…well…if it isn't hero Caleb Yula. Beat up any other imbeciles lately?"

Cagalli took a deep breath to steady her nerves before turning around and smirked at Shinn.

"Going to, seeing that there's a big one in front of me," She felt a sense of triumph as she wiped the smirk off Shinn's face.

"You think you can take me on rascal?" Shinn said, his voice dripping with venom.

"I don't think, I know Shinn," Cagalli retorted as she intensified her glare.

"You have no idea what you're up against punk," Shinn said as he glared back.

"Oh your threat is so scary that I'm shaking in my pants," Cagalli taunted.

Shinn's eyes narrowed as he looked at her. Cagalli continued her glare; she didn't want to be the first to look away.

Shinn finally looked away as he said, "C'mon"

Cagalli finally realised that he wasn't alone; he was with a short red-haired girl and a blond haired boy. The red-haired girl was staring at her with a shocked expression, her mouth slightly agape.

_Probably shock__ed that someone actually stood up to the vampire, stupid fan girls_ Cagalli thought in disgust as she looked at the three figures that were walking out of the café.

"Your order sir,"

Cagalli grunted as she took the drinks and walked back to Lacus, her stomach flopping around as she sat down.

Somehow she felt her days at ZAFT were numbered.

* * *

Poor Cagalli! Don't worry it's an auscaga fic so you'll know how it's gonna end...:)

So i was thinking that i may want to add some more couples and was thinking of well Yzak and Shiho because well i love them so very much! What do you guys think? If you like to see Yzak and Shiho end up together vote for them! Just type **Yes to YxS!** to vote for this beloved couple! Hmm...since Yzak's bdae is 8th of Aug so 88 votes?? haha no. 8 votes and more and you'll see yzak and shiho honey moments!:)  
[I just realised - Yzak bdae is very auspicious 08/08 fatt fatt in cantonese...meaning rich rich! if i'm not wrong...]

I will consider other couples if there is enough requests for them...so plz vote!:)

Please review...i would like to hear your views on this chapter and the past chapters and if i should improve on anything...thank you!

-coolios


	6. Chapter 6: Basketball Therapy

hey peeps! Chapter 6 up!

I think this is so far my favourite chapter i hope it would be urs too!:)

Thanks once again to all my wonderful reviewers! You guys really rock my socks off! Please cont to review!

Again...I do not own Gundam SEED franchise but that does not stop me from wishing:)

Inspired(not so much) by the Shakespearen play - Twelfth Night or (more) Hana Kimi or (a lot more)She's the man and Eleanor Roosevelt for that wonderful quote all jumble together:)

ENJOY!!!:))) just a suggestion: i find that listening to Taylor Swift-Love story while reading this story brings out the best in this chapter...:)

* * *

"What did she say?" Athrun demanded the minute Cagalli entered their room. She felt a strong rush of irritation at his question.

"She said that you're a talented volleyballer and smart," Cagalli replied dully.

"Really? What else?" he pressed on, his eyes sparkling to Cagalli's annoyance.

"Also that you're arrogant, insensitive and snobbish, happy?" she snapped, her words had the immediate effect of extinguishing the sparkle in his eyes.

Athrun paced around the room before settling down on his bed. "Is it? Sigh…I guess I shouldn't have hook up with all those girls," he said finally.

Cagalli snorted. "You guess?"

"You got to change her mind! Please Caleb!" Athrun said standing up. "I'll owe you two favours."

Cagalli glared at him. "Why don't you do it yourself, instead of me? What do I look like? Cupid? Aphrodite? Venus? You're the one that likes her!" She said flaring up, releasing her pent-up frustrations at him, at Lacus, at the whole freaking and stupid situation.

"I-I know, sorry. It's just that I'm not very good at expressing myself and there's a slight possibility-no huge possibility that I will say the wrong things. Unlike you…you seem to have a way with girls," Athrun said with a hint of envy in his voice.

_That's because I'm a goddamn girl! Argh!_ Her mind screamed.

"What do you mean by I have a way with girls?" she asked suspiciously.

"Nothing…it's just that some students saw you with Shiho and Shiho doesn't really interact with new students especially male ones and then you got a dat-sorry went out with Lacus who also don't really interact with boys," Athrun said.

Cagalli groaned internally.

_Way to go Cagalli…way to keep your cover._

Cagalli sighed. As much as she hated helping Athrun get Lacus, she couldn't stand the sad and forlorn look in his eyes, it tugged a little at her heartstrings.

_As long as he's happy…_

"Fine, I'll help," Cagalli relented at last, thinking that she'll probably going to regret it in the morning.

"You will? Thanks man! I'll owe you," Athrun said brightly, the sparkle relighting in his eyes.

_I wish his eyes will sparkle for me…_

* * *

"You can't sit here! Go away!" Cagalli hissed angrily at Athrun just as he was about to take his usual seat.

"Oh right, I'll just sit behind then," Athrun said hastily as he moved to the back of the class.

_Yup! I'm regretting it already…_

"Hi Caleb!" Lacus greeted cheerfully.

Cagalli smiled back, _Look at her looking so cheery and…and…PINK! Ya pink! I hate pink!_

Catching Athrun's eye, she sighed and reluctantly went into action.

"So Lacus! Yesterday was fun! I think my cousin's going to love the present you choose," Cagalli said as she racked her brain of a good way to broach the topic.

"Thank you! Let me know her reaction, I love to see people's reactions when they get presents," Lacus said beaming.

"Sure…hey! Speaking of reactions, do you know what my reaction was when you flamed the jocks yesterday? I couldn't help but feel a bit indignant and insulted about what you said," Cagalli said playfully, choosing her words as she put her plan into motion.

Lacus looked stricken at her words. "No! I mean I'm sorry, I forgot that you're a jock too! But you're no where like the ones I dated! I'm sorry if my words offended you," she said hurriedly in an effort to clear her name.

"Well yes, your words offended me, but I just I could let it slide if you do me one favour," Cagalli said as she smirked inside, this was too easy.

"Anything," Lacus said in relief, glad that Cagalli had forgiven her.

"Well, I would like you to go on a date with Athrun," Cagalli said as she looked at the guilt-ridden lass.

"Um…well, I er…" Lacus stammered the favour had obviously startled the poor girl.

"C'mon Lacus, you say so yourself that you didn't like guys that stereotype girls but aren't you stereotyping boys as well with the words you said yesterday? I would personally go on a date with you but like you say I'm not the typical jock. But Athrun is, wasn't that what you said? By going on the date with him, you'll see that not all jocks are like what you think. And besides what do you have to lose, except for an afternoon or half a night," Cagalli persuaded as she lured the girl into the trap, cutting all escapes.

Lacus blinked as she digested her words.

"I guess so…I think," Lacus finally said, she felt a bit confused.

"Good! Why don't you ask him to the nice diner you pointed out to me yesterday?" Cagalli suggested.

Lacus nodded slowly as she turned back to face the whiteboard, still trying to make sense of how she got into a date with Athrun Zala.

Cagalli turned back too, her face crestfallen and her poor heart aching badly.

_That's it…my work is done, Lacus will fall in love with Athrun and I will only be his friend, because I'm a boy now. I can't believe I'm admitting this but – God! I wish I was a girl now! That way it wouldn't be so hard and painful…_

* * *

"Hey Caleb! You ok? You've been spacing out quite a bit," Kira asked in concern. She and Kira were at the table outside their dorm, trying to do their math homework but Cagalli was finding it hard to concentrate with her mind wandering to Lacus and Athrun every few seconds.

"Hm? Oh sorry…just got a lot on my mind," Cagalli smiled apologetically.

"I see… want to talk about it?" Kira said as he closed his book and looked intently at Cagalli.

_I wish but I can't…why? Because you don't know I'm a girl and that I can't be telling you about my love woes…or can I?_

Cagalli cleared her throat as she said carefully.

"Well, actually it's my cousin's problem. She called me…after school or rather texted me about this problem she has. So um, maybe you can help her because I'm quite lost actually," Cagalli started. Kira nodded as he waited for her to continue.

Cagalli took a deep breath as she took the plunge.

"So her problem is this, She likes this guy but that guy had no idea that she likes him, in fact he doesn't know that she is…a um ah…what she is. But this guy likes another girl, so he asked my cousin to help her get that girl to go out with him. So my cousin did and they go on a date, but now she's regretting it because she realized that she really likes him a lot, so what you think my cousin should do?" Cagalli said as she replayed her words in her mind other than the weird 'what she is' she felt that there's no way that Kira would suspect that it was her.

"Hm…that's a toughie," Kira said thoughtfully as he stroked his chin. Of course he knew that the 'cousin' was Caleb and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who the other parties are, after the way Athrun announced to his friends his date with Lacus and that it was all due to Cagalli.

Cagalli leaned forward, eager to learn his take on it.

"Hm…I think that your cousin should tell the guy how she feels," Kira said finally.

"I don't think it's possible, because…because the guy doesn't see my cousin as er…as she really is, so it's a bit hard to confess," Cagalli countered.

"The guy doesn't see your cousin as she really is? I'm lost," Kira repeated as his eyebrows raised.

_Shit…how do I say it…_

"Um....it's really hard to explain," she said finally.

"Is your cousin a transvestite?" he asked in amusement, trying to give Cagalli an outlet.

Cagalli hesitated before replying.

"Um…no, but if…IF she was a transvestite what would your advice be?"

Kira smiled lightly as he replied, "I think it's going to be quite hard because I don't think that guy is gay. So unless your cousin decides to change back to a girl it's going to be quite hard for your cousin to get her guy. But in any case, I stick by my first advice: Confess. It's the only way to get things moving. It may not be in the direction that your cousin wants but it beats the status quo she's now in."

Cagalli's eyes widened in alarm as she protested,

"But…but! What if the guy ignores her or worse does not reciprocate her feelings? I don't think she can take it! Isn't it better to just keep things as they are, as friends rather than taking the risk?"

"That Caleb is a risk she must take, unless she's happy with just loving him from afar, never knowing what his response will be forever," Kira replied. "If not another way is that she could change back into a girl and tell him. I don't see why not, with technology so advanced now."

"She can't, she got things to accomplish…" Cagalli said miserably.

"What things?" Kira asked his interest perked.

Cagalli realizing that she had said more than she ought to fumbled for a decent reply.

"Um…I'm not sure, she never mentioned it. Oh gosh! Look at the time! I got to go! See you later and thank you!" Cagalli said quickly as she gathered her stuff and ran back to her room.

"Your welcome Caleb, just tell Athrun the truth. You'll be surprised at his response," Kira murmured as he watched Caleb sprint away.

* * *

As Cagalli burst into her room, she breathed a sigh of relief as she pressed her forehead against the door. As she turned around, she received a huge shock.

She gave a slight jump as her heartbeat raced.

Athrun was lying his bed, absent-mindedly playing with his volleyball.

"Geezes, you scared the hell out of me! What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be on a date with Lacus?" Cagalli asked when she regained her speech.

Athrun didn't reply as he continued playing with the ball.

Cagalli's brows furrowed, something was wrong. During lunch he had been jumping around like an over-eager five-year-old and now he's acting like a depressed fifty-five year-old.

She hazarded a question,

"So, how did it go?"

Silence.

"Ok"

"Ok…" she repeated.

"So, what happened? I wasn't expecting you till like nine or ten plus, it's only….seven plus now," She pressed on.

Silence again.

"Nothing"

"Nothing…"she echoed again.

She stared at him as she fidgeted slightly, the silence was deafening. Athrun was acting so…so defeated…so pathetic…so out. She felt her heart panged at the sight.

That's it

"Come on, I'm not going to let you mop around any more," Cagalli decided as she pulled Athrun up. He grunted but allowed himself to be pull up and shuffled after Cagalli as she pulled him along.

* * *

"The basketball court?" Athrun said his voice heavy with sarcasm as they arrived at the open air basketball court. Night had just fallen and the court was illuminated by the lights coming from the corridor that lined the court and the bright full moon. It was bright enough for them to see the hoops and the lines on the court.

"Yes! Let's play!" Cagalli said determinedly. She took a basketball from the basket that that the basketball team had left.

"I'm not in the mood," Athrun replied monotonously as he turned his back on Cagalli.

Cagalli felt a rush of anger at his lack of enthusiasm. She threw the ball at him and caused him to stumble as it hit his back. Athrun stopped and half-turned, Cagalli felt her heart leap but it immediately sank when he walked on.

Reaching for another basketball she aimed at him again, hitting his back once again. Athrun clenched his hands; he was a ticking time bomb that could explode any moment. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath before walking again.

He hadn't gone more than five steps when another ball hit him again, this time with more force. He could feel his temper rising as he tried to calm himself down.

"Aren't you going to retaliate? Are you going to let me hit you over and over again? Are you that pathetic? Are you a pushover? Is that what the great Athrun Zala of ZAFT academy, captain of the Orb's champion volleyball team, an honor roll student is? A pathetic pushover who could not stand a little heartbreak? You're an embarrassment!" Cagalli yelled at him her voice echoing in the empty court, she could feel a lump forming in her throat.

_No, not now._

Her words stung and Athrun finally snapped.

"You want to play? Fine! Let's play!" he shouted in blind fury as he threw back a basketball to Cagalli with great force, knocking the wind out of her.

Cagalli smirked as she dribbled the ball, in a flash she outmaneuvered Athrun and did an easy layup. "You got to do better than that Zala," she said as she bounced the ball to him.

Athrun's eyes narrowed as he dribbled the ball. Cagalli was now on the defensive and she was not going to let Athrun score. Athrun tried to fake a left but Cagalli was onto him as she expertly snatched the ball away from him and scored again.

"Is that all you got?" She taunted.

"One more," Athrun said.

Cagalli smirked again as she passed him the ball. Athrun bounced the ball between his legs as he looked for an opening. Cagalli was blocking all his possible escapes, or so she thought. He smirked as he bounced the ball in between Cagalli's legs and caught it before she could react. He did a running shot as the ball flew into the hoop.

"Not bad, my turn," Cagalli commented as she took possession of the ball again.

Both of them played basketball as the stars twinkled above them. Finally after a close to two-hour hard play with Athrun playing out his anger and frustrations, they called it quits. Athrun lay on the court with his hands behind his head panting slightly as he gazed at the bright stars. Cagalli joined and lay beside him. She could feel the heat radiating from his body and she longed to close the few inches that separate them. She watched him out of the corner of her eyes, his eyes shining like the stars above. His damp hair plastered slightly to his face as beads of sweat trickled down his forehead. She couldn't believe how good he still looked despite being sweaty and all.

"She left even before we started our dat- no meal."

Cagalli looked at him and waited for him to continue.

"I meet her outside the mall, we talked a bit. I thought it was going well until we arrived at the diner. She didn't even pick up the menu; she just stared at me and then abruptly stood up and said, 'I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come. I'm so sorry.' And then she left. Can you believe it? The great Athrun Zala had been stood up like some pitiable fool, It's going to make headlines," Athrun said dryly his voice laced with irony.

"Am I that lousy?" he wondered.

Cagalli bit her lips, she should be glad- no over-the-moon happy that after the way Lacus acted there would be no way that Athrun would like her. She should be happy, it's only logical for her to be happy. But strangely, she's not.

"I don't know, you tell me Athrun," Cagalli replied as she sat up and looked down at Athrun. Athrun blinked at her, not sure what she was implying.

Cagalli sighed. That guy can be so dense sometimes.

"If you ask me, yes I think you're lousy and pitiable and a fool for allowing yourself to get into such a pathetic state for a girl. Sure she might have broken your heart. So what? Get over it. It's her loss not yours," Cagalli continued looking straight into the green eyes.

Athrun had sat up and looked at her expectantly. Cagalli took a deep breath.

"Athrun, no one can make you feel inferior without your consent. If you really like her, then fight for her love. Did you really expect love to be serve on a silver platter? Did you expect Lacus to fall head over heels in love with you the minute she set her eyes on you? If love is that easy to come by then it's not love is it? There's a reason why they say love is bittersweet, without the bitter moments how do you know which are sweet ones?"

Athrun stared at her, his eyes unreadable but it seemed to be searching, searching for something.

"You're different Caleb, I can't place it but you're really different from the rest of the guys I know," Athrun finally said, his eyes transfixed on Cagalli's face. She squirmed slightly.

"It just that I was so used to girls throwing themselves at me that I guess I had this ridiculous illusion that all girls will love me. It never occurred to me that some girls may not feel that way."

Cagalli sighed. "Arrogant, egoistic much, Athrun Zala?"

Athrun let out a small laugh. "Yeah, arrogant egoistic me but chicks dig it." Cagalli couldn't help but chuckled as she playfully nudged Athrun who nudged back.

_That is the Athrun I know, the one I fell in love with. Cockiness, shyness and all. _She thought as she smiled.

"So are you going to give it one more shot?" She asked.

Athrun nodded with confidence. "Yes! I'm not a quitter! Even if things don't work out, at least I know I gave it my all and I have no regrets."

Cagalli nodded, some how hearing him say all that made her heart swelled with pride, she wasn't upset (ok maybe a bit) but it didn't affected her as badly as she thought it would.

"If you need me, I'm here," she said with a tinge of sadness in her voice.

Athrun smiled gratefully and he did something unexpected that shocked Cagalli.

He _hugged _her.

Cagalli felt herself stiffened, her arms pinned to her sides as Athrun enveloped her in an embrace. Cagalli's heart thumped so loudly that she swore that Athrun could hear it; she was getting a bit light-headed.

"Thank you Caleb, you're really an irreplaceable friend,"

Her heart sank terribly as she felt tears prickling at the back of her eyes.

_Friend…_the word reverberated in her mind. _That's all I ever be, a friend…_

A single tear escaped her eyes, as she relaxed and breathed in his scent – a mixture of musk and sweat that make him smell so comforting. She closed her eyes as she slowly brought her arms to hug him back, feeling the hard muscular back beneath the damp shirt.

_Even if it's for a moment…even if it's not meant to be. I'll be willing to trade everything I have for this moment. Every_thing.

She leaned her head on his shoulder as more tears spilled over. She smiled a sad smile.

_Even if it's only this moment…it's more than I could ever wish for._

_Please don't let it end…_

_

* * *

_

A bittersweet moment for our fav couple...the quote by Eleanor Roosevelt is that 'no one can make you feel inferior without your consent.' A wonderful quote to live by:)

i have nothing against pink or ages...

The voting for YxS to be together for my fic have not end, i will end it after i post up my 8th chapter, cuz if have it would most probably be in the 8th chapter that's if nothing else pop up in my mind. Ya...so far i only have 4 votes for them...so yes plz contd voting! I only need four more thanks!

Lastly, plz review i would really like to hear your thoughts on this chapter. Is it your fav chapter so far? If yes please review and tell me! I would be so happy to receive the reviews!:))

-coolios [love you guys to bits for reading my fic!]


	7. Chapter 7: The curious case of PMS

Hey! Chapter seven's up! Oh when i first wrote this chapter with only one thing in mind but then it snowballed and became this angst-ridden chapter. I swear it wrote it itself i'm just the instrument:) Plz really be nice about this chapter...Oh i got 2 fantastic ideas for YxS fics!! and one storyline for Avatar so watch out lo!

Thanks once again to all my wonderful reviewers! Here's a giant hongbao for each of you! Plz keep reviewing becoz i really love them:)

Gundam SEED franchise does not belong to me...

Inspired(not so much) by the Shakespearen play - Twelfth Night or (more) Hana Kimi or (a lot more but now lesser)She's the man and New moon all jumble together:)

ENJOY!!!:))

* * *

_Shit…_

Cagalli Yula Athha woke up with a start. She knew it. Glancing quickly to the clock and to Athrun's sleeping form, she did a quick check. "Shit," she cursed again as she tiptoed to get her stuff and rushed to the toilet, cursing all the way.

Yes, it's Day One of the dreaded time of the month, at least for us girls.

* * *

"Caleb, are you ok?" Kira asked at lunch. Cagalli nodded as she smiled weakly. She hated getting her periods, not only does she have to make frequent trips to the toilet to check for leakage, she had to deal with the horrible cramps. To make matter worse, she forgotten to pack her menstrual painkillers, so now she was breaking out in slight cold sweat and enduring the abdominal pain. Oh yes, let's not forget the all-important PMS. Yeap, it's going to be fun-filled days ahead.

"Yeah, you don't look so good," Yzak said as he looked at Cagalli.

"I'm fine, just stomachache that's all, no biggie," She said, waving away their concern.

The boys nodded as she stared at her food, _Are all canteen food this…this unique?_ She stared at the brown goo on her plate. She didn't even want to think what it looked like. It was bad enough to taste it once, she wouldn't want to taste it the second time coming up her esophagus in the toilet.

'Caleb, we got to go, you ok on your own?" Kira asked since the boys had a physics test and the teacher wanted them ten minutes earlier.

"Yeah, go on," Cagalli said as the three of them left. Athrun wasn't with them; he was with Lacus or somewhere close to her. She wished she hadn't spurred him on, but she wasn't regretting. Regret and wishing are two completely unrelated words. Or at least that was what she was telling herself. She stabbed at her brown goo, before deciding that she had enough of staring at it.

She stood up and walked over to dump her lunch in the bin.

She was about halfway across when she fell-no tripped over something. She gasped in horror as her lunch tray flew out of her hands as she fell. She managed to break her fall by landing on all fours, she was about to breathe a sigh of relief when she felt something wet and slimy hit her back or rather her hair and the back of her neck. She grimaced as she felt the goo trickling down her neck.

_Ew…this can't be happening._

She quickly stood up as she heard a laugh, whirling around her eyes widened in shock – it was the vampire.

_I should have known it was him._

"Caleb Klutz Yula strikes. Better stay clear of him," Shinn sneered as his table roared with laughter. Cagalli felt her face growing warm as she heard snickers coming from other tables. She was about to retaliate when the bell rang.

_Lucky break jerkestein_ she thought bitterly as she stalked out of the cafeteria. She was going to be late for history as she cleaned herself. She looked presentable as she checked herself in the mirror. Other than the fact that her hair was dripping wet, her jacket was damp and the front of her shirt had water stains, she look good enough to stand in front of the her school and give a presentation on "How to avoid looking like you just got slimed by today's mystery meat." She sighed, who was she kidding?

"You're late Mr Yula," Ms Murrue said crossly as Cagalli entered the classroom.

"I'm sorry Ms Murrue, I had a little accident during break," Cagalli said meekly.

Ms Murrue eyed her attire as she shook her head. "Forget it, just take your seat and take out your lecture pad."

Cagalli nodded glad to be off the hook.

She made her way to her table as she sat down she felt her chair wobbling slightly. Before she could even get up, the chair collapsed under her and she landed painfully on her butt. "What the hell?" she muttered darkly.

The noise startled the whole class as they turned to look at her. There was a short silence before someone yelled out, "Hahaha! Caleb Klutz strikes again! Time to hit the gym ne?" The whole class burst out in hysterics. In the midst of all the laughter, she caught a pair of triumphant red eyes. _Him…_

Cagalli felt anger coursing through her, _Asshole, Jerkestein, Bastard…_ she thought furiously. She felt a pair of hands helping her up.

"You ok?" Athrun asked.

"I'm fine," she muttered as she shook off his hands to his surprise.

"Settle down class, settle down," Ms Murrue said with a hint of amusement in her voice as the class quiet down. "Caleb, there's a spare chair at the back of the class." Cagalli nodded tightly as she took the spare chair and sat down.

"Is everything ok?" Athrun asked, eyeing Cagalli.

"Everything is just peachy," Cagalli said trying hard to keep out the sarcasm in her voice but doing a rather bad job since Athrun raised his eyebrows. She felt her stomach clenched as she looked ahead refusing to meet his eyes. Athrun looked back after a while.

She should have known that Shinn was not going let it down after the Café incident. So it was now Shinn – 2 and her – nil, zero, zlinch, nada. She clenched her fist as she swore her revenge.

* * *

Sadly, revenge wasn't to come until a few days later. Shinn in the meantime was hell-bent on making her life a living nightmare. It was as if he was making up for the lost two months where he had not unleashed his full prowess, a sleeping volcano that had finally awakened.

Shinn was smarter and more cunning then she give credit for, striking when she's alone or in a company of one or two. He knew better than to incur the wrath of her friends and Cagalli had too much pride to admit she was being bullied and her PMS wasn't helping either. So she endured and waited for the right time for payback. The final straw came when after school she found her locker glued shut. She snapped.

Her mind blinded with white-hot fury as she marched to the Vampire's lair aka his locker. She didn't stop to think of the consequences, the only mantra was she chanting was _He's going to pay…he's going pay…he's going to pay…he's going to freaking pay._

"Hey Shinn!" she called out when she was a few feet away from Shinn who was laughing with his friends. Shinn turned around and was greeted by Cagalli's fist.

She punched him squarely in the jaw. It was one hell of a punch because it was fuelled by anger and days of enduring the torture. It was also aided by PMS and a women's fury and everyone knows that 'Hell had no fury like a woman scorned'. So yes, the punch sent Shinn into his friends as a nice bruise began to form on his face. Cagalli felt a sense of thrill and satisfaction at it.

Shinn quickly regained his composure as he gave Cagalli's his famous death glare. It did not send a shiver down her spine like the other times but rather irritated her.

"Cut that stupid look Shinn, had enough? There's more where that came from," she said in a deathly voice.

Shinn snorted as he gingerly touched his bruise. He looked away for a second before sending a punch her way. She stumbled backwards as she felt a sharp pain in her jaw, her eyes watering slightly. She smirked, she didn't know what it was. Was it from days of torment? Or was it from PMS? Or was is from her unrequited feelings for Athrun. All she knew was that she needed it, some distractions. Whatever it was, it was messing with her head, making her reckless. And a reckless girl having her period is a lethal combo. She growled as she launched herself at him. A punch and a kick that had him doubled over. Before she could deal another blow, she slammed into the lockers; apparently one of Shinn's friends had decided to intervene. She felt the throbbing pain in her side but strangely it did not hinder her from retaliating and punching the friend. Maybe all that endurance training during volleyball finally came in handy.

"I'm here to deal with Shinn, stayed out of it," Cagalli snarled.

"If you want to deal with Shinn, you got to deal with all of us," a blond guy said, she recognized as the one she saw at the café.

"Isn't this touching Shinn? Your little friends want to protect you? Aren't you a precious one," she mocked. The guys narrowed their eyes. She didn't give a hoot about them. Those bumbling baboons will get their just desserts soon for being part of Shinn's little gang.

"No, I'll take care of this myself," Shinn said coldly.

Cagalli clenched her fists, ignoring the pain in her jaw and in her shoulder.

"You are going to pay," Shinn said glaring at her, his red eyes looking positively murderous.

"Do I look like I care?" She spat out. "You're nothing but a cowardly idiotic boy! If you are a real man, you wouldn't stoop to such despicable levels to torment me! You're a freaking disgrace!" She yelled out the last part, her amber eyes flashing dangerously.

Shinn let out a low snarl as he threw himself at her, tackling Cagalli to the ground. She gritted her teeth as she felt her back colliding painfully with the cold cement floor. She kicked, scratched and punched Shinn, earning a few of them herself. Suddenly she felt him leave her.

_This is my chance!_ She thought as she scrambled to her feet and was about to aim a flying punch at him when she felt a strong pair of arms holding her back firmly.

_No! Lemme go! Lemme have him! _Her mind screamed.

"Caleb! Calm down! Calm down!" a deep soothing voice said urgently.

Unknowingly, she obeyed, still panting as she glared at Shinn who was back with his friends. "You're crazy! Crazy!" Shinn shouted as he shot her a look that froze her. She continued to look at his retreating figure.

"You can let me go now," she said coolly.

The arms immediately left her, she straightened her uniform and she took a few steps before the pain rushed through her. She stumbled as she fell to the ground. She closed her eyes as she tried to regain control of herself, but the pain from her cramps and the injures she just sustained was getting unbearable.

"Caleb!"

She allowed herself to be lifted up, she winced as she bent over, clutching her stomach. The cramps were winning the war of pain.

"My stomach," she managed to gasp out.

She remembered looking into the eyes as she felt the familiarity in them, a surge of nostalgia before she finally succumbed to the darkness.

_Father?_

* * *

Cagalli covered her eyes as she groaned. The late afternoon sunlight was really a bitch. She winced from the pain, especially her jaw which she's sure that it would be swollen by now. At least she knew that Shinn was in a worse shape than her, the thought comforted her somewhat. She sat up slowly as her cramps still pained her.

"Good, you're awake," a voice said. She glanced up and saw Kira.

"D-did you bring me here?" she asked as she realized that she was in her own room.

"Yeah, how are you feeling?" Kira asked as he sat at the foot of her bed.

"I don't know, what are you suppose to feel after getting into a fight?" she asked sarcastically.

Kira frowned at her.

"I could do without the sarcasm you know,"

"Sorry," Cagalli muttered apologetically.

"Forget it, I guess you're fine."

She nodded.

"Ok. What the hell were you thinking?!" Kira burst out angrily.

Cagalli jumped, somehow Kira scared her and she just took on a whole coven of vampires – sort of.

"Um…Shinn was bullying me and I retaliate. Simple as that."

"Are you that eager to get into a fight? You should have told someone about it and not deal it yourself. Even so, there are other ways than using fists,"

Cagalli felt herself flaring up again.

"What does that have to do with you? I taught him a lesson and he wouldn't bother me anymore. End of story."

"No! Not end of story! You listen here! Fists don't solve anything! They never do! Do you know that if I didn't intervene, the rest of the boys would probably rip you to shreds? You'll be in the ICU for crying out loud!" Kira said furiously, trying to get his point across.

"Who ask you to intervene! I don't need your help. I can handle it myself!" Cagalli shouted, glaring at Kira.

"And look how that turned out?" Kira said as he crossed his arms.

Cagalli opened her mouth before closing it and turning away. Kira sighed before saying,

"You don't have to do everything yourself, we could have help you know. We've been looking for an excuse to mess with him. We could have had some fun with Shinn, make him run laps till night fall or use his underwear as a flag and let it flap in the breeze for all to see. Or even make him wear a dress for bullying you."

Cagalli snorted as the edges of her mouth twitched.

"Above all, we would help because you're our friend Caleb, and we never abandoned our friend," Kira said, smiling lightly.

"I know, I'm sorry Kira. I didn't think before I act," Cagalli said remorsefully.

"I'm just glad that you're ok. Other than a few bruises, you'll be fine. The swelling on your face isn't that bad because I managed to put ice on it before it got worse."

"Thank you Kira, and I'm really sorry for everything I said just now," Cagalli said softly, she felt so bad for making him so worried.

"It's ok. So um here, painkillers for your abdominal pains."

Cagalli stared at the pink pills before her, her cheeks heating up.

"K-Kira, those are menstrual pills,"

"I-yeah. I know, I'm sorry. They are the- the only ones I could find. But I…eh figured that since it's the same area, it should work fine," Kira said blushing.

Cagalli paused before taking one and swallowing it. She accepted his explanation. It did make sense if you thought about it.

"You're lucky Athrun isn't here, He'll have a fit."

Cagalli's heart sank at his name. She hated how the mere mention of his name affected her so much.

"Where is he?" she asked hollowly.

"He went out with Dearka and Yzak. I didn't go because- um I got to finish my assignment." Kira lied; the truth was that he wanted to talk to Cagalli since he noticed that she had been acting strangely around Athrun.

Cagalli nodded.

"I'm sorry. I guess you need to get back to your work,"

"It's ok, I –er finished it when you were knocked out."

Cagalli nodded again, barely registering his words. She was too pre-occupied with the messy situation that she got herself into. She's bound to be famous or infamous when news of her brawl reached the student population.

"Caleb, is there something else other than just getting back at Shinn?" Kira asked gently. He knew that the brawl wasn't just plain revenge; there was something else in her eyes that looked like hurt when he pulled Shinn off of her.

Cagalli paled, once again Kira had read her like an open book. Too tired to think of a lie she simply said,

"Not now Kira, not now. Maybe when the time is right, I'll let you know. Thank you,"

Kira smiled warmly as he nodded. He knew that he shouldn't rush her.

"Are you hungry? I got some food in my room. I'll get for you," he said as he exited her room.

Cagalli sighed as she brought her legs to her chest and rested her chin on her knees. What was she thinking? She wasn't the reckless kind. She knew that fists do more harm than good. She wasn't an advocate for violence. She may be hot headed sometimes allowing her emotions get the better of her, but she was no where this rash or foolish. So what in the world made her act like that? Like a deranged animal?

Of course she knew the reason, but she'll only admit it when pigs fly or when Yunna finally grew a brain. Because admitting it would mean its existence, it would mean she had to deal with it. She knew it was there, she knew what it was. She just doesn't have to freaking guts to admit it despite all the tell-tale signs. Knowing and admitting are mutually exclusive.

She would never admit that it was Athrun Zala that made her act this way.

She hated him for making her violent, craving for a chance to let out her frustrations. She hated him for all the pain, all the torment.

Ah the torment, the torment of seeing him wooing Laucs first with his charms and then with his actions. It irked her to see him putting his energy into trying to get her by first being her friend and then slowly worked his way up. The only silver lining is that Lacus was quite adamant about them being just friends. Nothing more.

She tried after that night when he hugged her to convince herself that it's better to remain as friends and that she should forget him. She was trying very very _very_ hard, but Athrun wasn't making it any easier. Every laugh, every smile, every slight brush of their arms, every word, every gaze, everything about him send a delicious shiver down her spine. At first she tried to tell herself that it was just infatuation nothing else. But as time passed, it was growing, developing and morphing into something greater than just a simple crush.

She was head-over-heels, mind-numbing, heart thumping, goofy smile in love with him. And she _loathed _it.

She loathed not being able to forget him. She loathed not being able to control her feelings. She loathed the irony of the situation that instead of distancing herself from him, she was sucked in deeper. The thing she loathed most was that he was sleeping every night less than ten feet away from her, yet the distance felt like miles. She was getting tired.

_Don't fight it any longer, you know it would only take more out of you, why not admit it and see how it goes..._

She gulped at that thought.

_Say it. It's only six words_

The hardest six words in the world

_Try it_

She took a deep shuddering breath.

_Six words_

She close her eyes as she whispered it out,

"I'm in love with Athrun Zala."

Oh god, she loved how it rolled off her tongue, she loved how it sounds, she loved how it send a wonderful peaceful feeling through her. She smiled as she repeated it again in a slightly louder voice.

"I'm in love with Athrun Zala."

PMS have strange side effects if it can make Yunna grow a brain.

* * *

Ah well, angsty? **Raise your hand if you thought that it would be Athrun that saved Cagalli! Hahah i'll let u guess why it was Kira not Athrun, review and tell me!:) If you get it right you'll be offically knighted in my next chapter!:)  
**Actually i just wanted this chapter to put an end to Cagalli and Shinn enmity but it turned out to focus quite a bit on Cagalli's r/ship with Athrun. But i'm quite pleased at how it turned out. Maybe i'm better at writing this kind of genre:)

So this is going to be a long A/N cuz i think i need to explain, so if you're confused becoz in the earlier chapters i wrote like she was slowly but surely falling in love with him. So the key word is 'falling' which means not yet! It was only the beginning, she knows that there's something there. A crush. Not love yet, crush. So in the last chapter, i know i put that she loves him, well ya. Bu then she decides to forget him becoz it's going to complicate things esp with her complex situation. So she took back the love part and try to go back liking him as a friend, so this chapter is focus on her trying to do that but she finally realise that it's impossible becoz her feelings are deeper than she thought, so now she admitted it out loud to herself that she loves him. Yes! So from now on, the chapters are going to see her how she deals with it..I do hope it helps or is it worse? Ah i do hope it helps!:)

Chinese New Year is here! I'm so excited so so so excited!!! So here's wishing all Gong Xi Fa Cai, Hong Bao Na Lai! Ha ha! May you all a fabulous Year of the Ox ahead! Xin Xiang Shi Cheng. Ma Dao Cheng Gong!

So plz review, no flames thank you very much! **Oh ya i still need 3 more votes for YxS c'mon 3 more only!!!** Questions are much welcome! Remember there is no such thing as a stupid question!:)

-Coolios (love you loadds for reading moi fic le)


	8. Chapter 8: Two girls, two falls

Hello! I'm sorry i know that chapter 8 is up later than by my usual updates, sorry. Busy over the chinese new year hols and studying for my basic driving test. I PASSED! Yipee!:)

yup yup...So here's a big big big thank you for all my amazing superb reviewers! I'm so happy that majority love the last chapter! Thank you for all your suggestions i would keep that in mind as i write this story! Thankew! I know i last chapter write that if you get the reason right you'll be offically knighted, though none of you really hit the nail on the head, Asereth came the closest, So let me knight **Asereth as part of** **the Legion of The Twelfth Knight. Rise Sir Asereth, knight of the the Twelves.** Really love this girl for her wonderful reviews!!!:) sorry i know i type sir but then it's a bit weird to put Lady instead. Is it ok with you? If not i could change it:) The real reason will becoming up in chapter 10 if i'm not wrong. Keep a look out for it!:)

I don't own Gundam SEED franchise.

Inspired(not so much) by the Shakespearen play - Twelfth Night or (more) Hana Kimi or (a lot more but now lesser)She's the man all jumble together:)

ENJOY!!!:)) esp the yxs scene in here:) Oh ya imuzuok it does make a diff!:D

* * *

"I'm in love with Athrun Zala."

Cagalli was feeling a lot better than she felt in days, despite her cramps and injuries she sustained in her fight against Shinn. She felt like a load had been lifted off her chest. Whoever came up with the phrase that 'the truth will set you free' sure knows what he/she was talking about. She smiled as she looked out of her window, thinking how the sunset looks so beautiful.

The room door opened as Athrun came in cautiously.

"Hey," he said uncertainly, he knew that Caleb was mad at him but for reasons that eluded him.

"Hey yourself," Cagalli replied smiling at her roommate.

Athrun raised his eyebrows, Caleb was acting _normal _again. He was relieved, maybe he was thinking too much.

"You're not mad any more?" he asked as he walked over to Cagalli's bed.

"Mad? Why would I be?" Cagalli asked her cheeks reddening.

"I don't know, for the past few days you've been acting strange. I thought you might be mad at me for um…_hugging_ you that night," Athrun said, his face heating up as he looked away.

"Um…"Cagalli started, as her cheeks turned a brighter shade of red. "I'm not er mad at you, I'm ok with it," _In fact I'm very ok with it…_

"Oh…good," Athrun said as he faced Cagalli, it was then that he saw the bruise on her face. His eyes widened.

"God! What happened to your face?" he demanded.

"Um, nothing," Cagalli replied as she averted her glance.

"Nothing? I don't call that nothing, did you get into a fight?" Athrun said with anger in his voice.

"Um…not really. It's nothing really, trust me," Cagalli insisted, the last thing she wants to admit is that she got into a fight with Shinn because of him.

"I don't believe you," Athrun said firmly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Sigh…Athrun I'm fine," Cagalli said exasperatedly.

Athrun looked at Cagalli as he contemplated on whether to pursue the matter, finally he sighed.

"Fine, just let me see," Athrun said as he touched bruise on her face tenderly. Cagalli bit the insides of her cheeks to stop herself from wincing in pain. Her heart pounded as she felt his hand slowly examining her injury. The feel of his hand on her face was addictive.

"It's not that bad," Athrun said finally. "You put ice on it already?"

She felt herself protesting when he withdrew his hand away. She nodded.

"Ya, Kira put it for me, he really helped me a lot," she smiled.

"Is that so?" Athrun said, his green eyes becoming guarded. "Lucky you then," he said smiling tightly.

Cagalli smiled again, as she absent-mindedly stroked her abdomen.

"Did you get hit in the guts too?" Athrun asked suspiciously.

"No," she replied curtly as she removed her hand, she can't believe how observant Athrun was.

"Let me see," Athrun offered as he reached for Cagalli's shirt.

Cagalli golden eyes widened in shock.

"N-No! I'm fine," she protested her arms firmly wrapped around her abdomen.

"Are you shy?" Athrun asked skeptically.

"Um…er, yes?" she replied apprehensively as Athrun eyebrow shot up.

"Why? We're all guys, there's nothing to be shy about," Athrun assured.

_Except I'm not a guy _Cagalli thought.

"It's ok Athrun, I'll be fine," She insisted again.

Athrun looked at her with an incredulous expression.

"Caleb, don't be a wuss. Just let me see," Athrun said with a hint of impatience in his voice as he once again reached for her shirt.

"No! I say no! Go away Athrun!" Cagalli cried as Athrun's fingers found the hem of her shirt.

"Caleb Yula! Don't be so stubborn, I'm only trying to help!" Athrun said angrily as both of them wrestled on the bed.

"Athrun! Stop it! You-" she didn't get to finished her sentence as both of them tumbled down to the cool floor.

Cagalli groaned as her back hit the ground, sending a fresh wave of pain through her again. She slowly opened her eyes and found herself staring into a pair of green eyes. It took a moment for realization to kick in that Athrun had landed on top of her. Her topaz eyes widened as she registered the fact that Athrun's face was inches away from her, she could feel his breathing on her face, tickling her ever so slightly.

She felt her cheeks heating up again, she was only too aware of his every limb on her. One of his hands was sandwiched between her abdomen and his. The other one was pinning down her left hand beside her. She gulped as she continued to look into those wonderful emerald eyes. She decided then and there that emerald had just become her favourite jewel. She didn't know how long they stayed in that position but she wasn't complaining. Everything else just became so insignificant suddenly, her recent fight, her cramps everything.

The emerald eyes blinked at her before it disappeared and so did the weight on her. She felt herself whining against the wonderful warmth that left her. She lay on the ground a while more before sitting up. Athrun staring at her with a slightly wild expression on his face coupled with the pink that was spreading across his face.

'I-I'm sorry," Athrun stuttered out his green eyes widened with shock.

"It's ok," Cagalli replied automatically still slightly dazed.

"Erm…er I just remembered that I…er got to um…do something. Bye!" Athrun stammered out as he hastily left the room.

Cagalli sat there dumbstruck as a smile started to spread across her face.

"I got to thank Shinn," she smiled wryly.

* * *

While Cagalli was inside smiling like a goofball, Athrun was outside panicking.

"Oh freak, oh god, Oh damn," Athrun mumbled as he paced outside his room.

He don't know why but when he was looking into those gorgeo- no _orange_ eyes he felt his heart beat a bit faster, his cheeks warming up and then there was the fact that he felt a jolt of electricity surged through him when he landed on top of Caleb. Kind of like that time when he hugged Caleb. He thought it was a one time fluke but then again just now…

"Damn, is there something wrong with me?" he questioned himself as he stared at the closed wooden door. He shook his head.

_I got to get out of here._

He then walked out of his dormitory and into the cool night breeze; maybe a nice long walk will help him.

* * *

"Ok team! Our first match of the season against Onogoro Preparatory School is in two days' time. I want you all to get plenty of rest. Sleep early and eat well. Am I clear?" Coach Mwu said after training. The team nodded as they ended their practice with the final cheer.

"I can't believe that our first match is in two days' time!" Cagalli exclaimed, she felt excited, she knew that she had been getting better since she joined ZAFT volleyball team. She couldn't wait!

"Oh hold on! I forgot my jersey," Yzak said as he rummaged through his bag. "I think I left it back in my locker."

"Yzak! You're getting old. Look! Your hair is turning white!" Dearka said in mock horror as he ruffled Yzak's silver hair.

Yzak slapped his hand away roughly. "Shut up Elsman," he growled.

"Chill man, we'll see you later then," Athrun said chuckling.

Yzak nodded as he made his way back to the volleyball court. When he neared the entrance, he heard the squeaking of the shoes on the polished wooden floor and the slight 'ping'. It sounded like a ball had dropped on the floor.

Curious, Yzak peeked into the court, his sapphire eyes widened as he saw a brunette girl playing by herself near the far end of the court. She was using the wall as an opponent.

"Hm…I didn't know that Shiho likes to play volleyball," he mused as he looked at her playing. _But she's not very good, her shoulders are too stiff and she's waiting for the ball, _he thought as Shiho missed a few hits.

Thinking that he had enough of spying, he approached her.

"Didn't know you like volleyball," he said, his voice echoing slightly in the empty court.

Shiho gave a slight jump as she whirled around. She didn't expect anyone to see her play. She had come up to find Cagalli but missed her. Seeing that nobody's around, she took the chance to try her skills at volleyball. She flushed slightly at being caught.

"Were you spying?" she asked accusingly.

"Maybe," Yzak smirked.

She raised her eyebrows.

"You're not very good, your shoulders are too stiff," Yzak said bluntly as he stood in front of her.

"Is that so? Ok then, show me," Shiho said coolly as she crossed her arms. She didn't like being told so bluntly that she wasn't good. There are nicer ways to put it across. But then Yzak wouldn't be Yzak if he sugarcoats his words.

Yzak eyed her before picking up the fallen volleyball and demonstrated. Shiho watched intently as Yzak did an overhead pass to the wall who was his 'opponent'.

"You see, you're not suppose to use your arms to hit the ball upwards but rather your legs, you bend your knees and straightened up when the ball land on your forearms, pushing it up," Yzak said as he demonstrated the right way to 'dig' under the ball.

Shiho nodded, "Ok let me try," She said eagerly.

She tried what Yzak said, but it was easier said then done, the ball keep going all over the place. She'd gained a whole new respect for volleyball players.

"Here, I'll help you," Yzak offered as he came up behind her.

He threw the ball lightly upwards, as he held her arms in the receiving position, his hands still holding hers as he guided her arms to receive the ball as it came down to dig underneath it, this time the ball went straight.

"That's better," he said approvingly as he took away his hands. Shiho nodded, blushing at their closeness. He was still behind her; she could feel his hard chest against her back.

"C'mon let's try again," Yzak said as he picked up the ball. He was calm, oblivious to the effect he had on Shiho.

"Y-yes," Shiho said as she quickly glanced away. She felt rather flustered. She made a few errors while she and Yzak were playing against the wall, errors that she usually would not have made. She cursed inwardly at her inability to play volleyball. As Yzak hit the ball to the wall, it rebounded to the central space between them.

"I got it," she yelled as she rushed to get the ball but Yzak had the same idea as well. So both of them end up crashing into each other and fell to the ground, Shiho landing on top of Yzak. She slowly opened her eyes, feelling something soft and full on her lips, she blinked as the blue eyes stared back at her.

_Wait, if I could see his eyes directly, it means that I landed on top of him face up. So that means that my lips are touching his…_

She froze for a second before her eyes widened as she jumped off of him, gasping.

_Oh my god, that did not just happened_ she thought as she unconsciously touched her lips. Realising what she was doing, she quickly pulled her hand away as Yzak slowly sat up, his cheeks stained with pink.

"Um…" he started.

"Don't," Shiho said as she put her hand to her forehead and closed her eyes. _Oh god…_

She felt mortified at what happened.

Yzak fell silent as Shiho opened her eyes, Yzak was looking at her and she felt a slight shiver going down her spine. They remained silent for a while.

"Yzak,"

"Shiho," they both said at the same time.

"You first," Yzak said.

Shiho swallowed before saying, "Um…I er- sorry, It was an accident,"

"It's ok," he said smiling faintly.

Shiho smiled weakly as they lapsed back into an awkward silence.

Yzak looked at her; he couldn't help but think how cute she looked all flustered.

"Hey! I thought you say that you wouldn't do me even if I was the last person on Earth," he teased trying to ease the awkwardness between them.

Shiho blinked at him before turning into a tomato-face again.

"Oh shut up Joule," she said dryly, trying to hide the smile.

"Don't tell me you didn't like it?" he smirked.

"What if I tell you that I like it?" She challenged.

"Then I have to do this," he smiled as he closed the space between them before Shiho could registered his words. She froze in her spot as Yzak's lips pressed against hers again. She blinked rapidly as a tingling sensation went through her.

As Yzak pulled away, she gazed at him as she smiled shyly.

He just laughed.

_Way to spoil the mood_ Shiho thought irritably.

"What's so funny?" she demanded.

"N-Nothing," he said between laughs. "It's just that who would believe that I kissed Shiho Hahnenfuss?!"

"Hey!" she cried indignantly punching him playfully on his chest, she couldn't help but smiled. He was right, who was going to believe that she and Yzak Joule kissed since all they every do when they see each other was to bicker.

Yzak laughed again as he grabbed her hand, her fingers lacing through his.

"C'mon, I'm starving. You're treating me," Yzak said as he pulled Shiho out of the court.

"Me? Why me?" Shiho asked her eyebrows furrowed.

"Because you kissed me first," Yzak said cheerfully as he looked at Shiho's red face.

"That…that's not fair! It was an accident," she protested.

"Too bad, accident or not, you kissed me first," Yzak shrugged, obviously enjoying their exchange.

"Eh? I…You…Oh!" Shiho said, irritated that she could not think of a comeback.

Yzak laughed again.

"Looks like I finally found a way to beat you," he teased as Shiho glared at him.

* * *

"OK team! One more set and we're out of here, let's showed them what we're made of!" Coach Mwu said over the shoutings and cheerings of the packed stadium. ZAFT was having their first match against Onogoro and had just claimed the first two sets with ease and they were soon starting on the third set – the deciding set.

As the team broke apart, Cagalli, Yzak, Athrun, Kira, Shinn and Zane McKenzine took their positions on the court. Cagalli was relieving Dearka who had played in the last set. She was very psyched up as she jumped about to warm her body up. Athrun was behind her waiting for the whistle to go. When it went, Athrun served the ball over as Cagalli started to move, readying to catch the ball.

"Caleb!" Kira called as he passed the ball to Cagalli. She jumped as she spiked the ball over. A whistle rang as she slapped high-five with her teammates. 1-0 to ZAFT. _24 more points…_she thought as Athrun got ready to serve again. She was performing better than she expected, it felt great to jump and spike the ball over and seeing her opponent's frustrated look at not being able to catch her spike made her insides swelled. Furthermore, Shinn had enough sense in him not to bring his personal grudges into the court as he passed the ball to her on a few occasions.

It was now 15-5 to ZAFT when a time-out was given. She wiped away her sweat as she went over to the bench as Coach Mwu briefed them again, dishing out last minute tactics.

"…try to aim for the left flank, the player there seemed to have a habit of leaving it opened," Coach Mwu said as the team nodded their heads before dispersing after a quick cheer of "Go ZAFT Knights!".

Cagalli walked back to the court and gazed at the crowd, almost half of ZAFT population was here. She smiled as they cheered on their home team. Their cheers were like energy boosters to her, she felt invigorated as she heard them cheering.

"Doing great Caleb," Athrun said clapping a hand on her shoulder.

"Thanks! You're great yourself," She smiled back. She still had the goofy smile on her face as the umpire blew his whistle to restart the match.

Cagalli was on fire as ZAFT continued to dominate the match. The score now was an amazing 24-12. One more point and ZAFT would take the set and sealed their first victory for the season.

The opponent spiked the ball over, narrowly saved by Yzak but it was a wild shot since the ball changed its trajectory and was heading out of the court.

_No_ Cagalli thought as she raced after the ball determined to save it. She managed to dig under the ball and sent it back to her teammates; she prayed that one of them will get it.

Athrun did as he jumped and spiked the ball over ending the game. Cagalli jumped up and down as the stadium erupted in loud cheers. She was beaming as her team rushed to the six of them. She was only vaguely aware of the hands that were raining down on her. Cagalli was intoxicated with happiness as the team made their way to the changing room, still chatting about the match. She was laughing at Dearka's hilarious rendition of the losing team's expression.

"Caleb! You're really great! I mean the way you managed to save the wild shot was awesome!" Dearka said as he slung an arm over her shoulder. Cagalli grinned, her insides bursting with pride.

"Hey! Hey!" Coach Mwu called out over the noise. "You were all tremendous out there! But don't let your heads swell so much! Training tomorrow boys," he grinned as the changing room groaned simultaneously.

Cagalli laughed, she was so piped up with energy that she couldn't wait to start training again. She knew at the rate she was improving, she could beat Emirates in no time.

_RING!_ Cagalli phone rang faintly over the loud chatters as she opened her bag.

She answered it without any hesitation, still running high on her euphoria.

"Hello!" she said cheerfully.

"Hello Cagalli,"

Cagalli felt her eyes widened as her euphoria bubble burst with a loud 'pop'.

She quickly pulled the phone away from her ear to check the caller ID.

"Oh shit…" she cursed.

* * *

Haahahaa **Guess guess guess! Who the caller was!!! **If you get it right then i'll knight you...so fun le! You can guess as many times as you want!

Please remember to review i would love to hear your thoughts on this chapter and any suggestions that you may have to make my story even better! Thank you!

Oh ya shoutout to cagalli leong: Dragonboat fun? Got capsize?! I remember my friend's class cap their boat twice! How they do it still baffles me. Enjoy the orientation esp on finale night! CJ got a rep for having one of the awesome-est Orientaton:)

-coolios (love you guys so much for reading my fic! -hugs-)


	9. Chapter 9: Oh my gosh!

Hello! Ah well i think i won't be able to keep up with my inhuman update speed anymore, so i'll just have to settle for weekly updates then..anyway chapter 9:)

Thank you once again for my fabulous and gorgeous reviewers!! I love you all so very much!:) Keep on reviewing. As for the new knights. I have four new sirs to my Legion.** I, dubbed the Magnificant Four - Rebecca, Kiwi, PinakaFaltizan and Usako as the newest additions to the Legion of the Twelfth Knight, you have proven worthy to call yourselves Knights of the Twelves, Rise. **Congratulations on getting the answer right!!:) A lot of you guess Yunna but it's not, I'm sorry. I kinda forgot about him, but don't worry he's not completely gone from my fic, you would have to wait and see what role he's going to play-smiles secretly- Please don't be dishearten if you did not get knighted! There will be other chances so keep your eyes open!:)

I don't own Gundam SEED franchise.

Inspired(not so much) by the Shakespearen play - Twelfth Night or (more) Hana Kimi or (a lot more but now lesser)She's the man all jumble together:)

ENJOY!!!:))) -damn long chapter...the longest I've ever written. does that make it up for my slower update speed??:) Oh yes if you forgotten the contents of the earlier chapters i sugest u go back and read cuz this chapter has a lot of reference to the earlier ones.

* * *

"Kiddo?"

"Y-Yeah, hey dad!" Cagalli said shakily. "Um…could you hold on for a sec?"

Cagalli covered the mouthpiece of her phone even before hearing her father's reply as she raced out of the changing room to find a secluded corner where she won't be overheard. She glanced nervously around before putting the phone to her ear, still on the lookout for people.

"Sorry dad, how are you?" Cagalli asked, glad that her voice sounded normal, though the same couldn't be said for her inside.

"I'm good, I'm in Orb actually," Uzumi said.

Cagalli heart stopped for a moment.

"Y-You in Orb?" She managed to squeak out as her stomach gave a sickening lurch.

"Yes, are you ok?" Uzumi asked, concerned.

"I'm fine, I-I thought you were on a business trip," she said, her mind racing to comprehend the situation.

"Well yeah, I'll be flying off next week actually," he said chuckling.

"I see…so why you call?" Cagalli asked, her heartbeat slowing down.

"Can't a father call his daughter just because he misses her?"

Cagalli rolled her eyes. "C'mon dad."

She heard her father laughed the familiar throaty laugh. She couldn't help but smiled.

'Can't get anything pass you, can I?" Uzumi teased.

Cagalli giggled. "No dad. So?"

"Well, I ran into an old friend of mine and we started chatting and he's invited us for lunch this Saturday. He said that he's very interested in meeting you."

Cagalli groaned internally. Typical.

"Dad, do I have to?" she groaned.

"C'mon Cagalli, it's only lunch. His son's coming along. So please wear something that people can identify that you're a female. Hm…maybe I should pick you from Emirates tomorrow after school, we could find something presentable."

Cagalli's eyes widened. "No! I mean…its ok. I'll wear a dress."

"Well that's a first, a dress?" Uzumi said sounding incredulous. "Are you sure you're my daughter?"

Cagalli rolled her eyes again. "Haha, very funny dad. You don't need to come down. I probably borrowed something from my friends. They'll be only too willing to help."

"Are you sure? Is there something you're not telling me?" Uzumi asked, suddenly suspicious of his daughter.

Cagalli gulped, her father was sharper than she give credit for.

"No Dad. Just because I agreed to wear a dress on my own accord, does not mean I'm hiding something from you. In case you haven't notice dad, I'm still a girl," she said dully, trying to keep out anything that might give her away, she figured that the best way was to act like she didn't care – poker face or in this case, poker voice.

"I see, ok then," It worked as Cagalli allowed a smug smile on her face.

"So I'll pick you up this Saturday from Emirates, about 11 plus?"

"NO!" Cagalli practically screamed into the phone.

"Heavens! What has gotten into you? This is the second time you've screamed, are you trying to burst my eardrums?" Uzumi said, bewildered by his daughter's outbursts.

"No, I mean its ok. I'll go myself," Cagalli said as her heart up its tempo again.

"Cagalli, the restaurant is in Central Orb, it's a near hour drive from your school."

"It's fine Dad, really. I er- just remembered that Kayla asked me out this Saturday to Central Orb. What a coincidence! Since I'll already be there, I could just meet you at the restaurant. You see it's working out perfectly!" she said a little too cheery, screwed the poker voice; it was pretty much over when she blurted out 'NO!'

"Oh? Ok then, the restaurant is _OZOROTH_, you know where?"

"Yeah, I passed by there before," Cagalli said, remembering the posh restaurant that she used to pass by whenever she was in Central Orb.

"Good then, I shall see you there at 12.30, don't be late kiddo!"

"Same here Dad! See you!" Cagalli said as she shut her phone.

She let out a breath as she leaned against the wall, slightly relieved that the conversation was over, her father was that close to finding out her secret.

The relief only lasted for a second, before panic set in.

"Oh my god, what am I going to do? Think Cagalli, think!" she willed herself.

She needed a battle plan. The battle aka luncheon was three days' away. She needed ammunition aka the outfit (she bleached at that thought), soldiers aka alibis and tanks aka transportation. Well the tanks could be arranged easily, there was a direct bus from ZAFT to there. Ammunition and soldiers were going to be harder to find. She bit her lips as she racked her brains, thinking hard. She could ask Kayla but she was so far away. She looked around and spotted Shiho talking to Yzak, both of them seemed to be laughing over something. If Cagalli wasn't so caught up in her problem, she would have thought that it would seemed out of place for Shiho to be laughing with Yzak.

Then something clicked. It was as if the heavens had opened up and basked Shiho in its glorious light. You could almost hear the choir singing 'Halleluiah'.

"Shiho!" Cagalli blurted out. Apparently her voice was louder than she realised since both Yzak and Shiho turned to look at her.

Cagalli recovered quickly and ran to her soon-to-be savior angel.

"Shiho!" she repeated. "I'm sorry, but can I borrow her for a moment. Thanks!" she said in one breath as she pulled Shiho away.

"What's going on?" Shiho asked confused, she felt a little annoyed that she was being pulled away from Yzak.

"I need your help," Cagalli said when they reached a quiet corner.

"As Caleb or…" Shiho asked as her eyebrows furrowed.

"As Cagalli," she said through clenched teeth.

Shiho's eyes widened as Cagalli quickly explained her fix.

Shiho laughed silently before saying, "Do I look like I own a dress?"

"Oh c'mon," Cagalli groaned as she slapped her forehead, so much for Shiho being her savior angel.

"Chill, I can get you a dress, Mirialla had a couple and you're about the same size as her, and shoes too, flats of course," she added hastily as Cagalli's eyes had narrowed at 'shoes'.

"Well, I could go with you to Central Orb if you want," Shiho said as she shrugged, wasn't as though she had anything interesting to do anyway.

Cagalli closed her eyes, silently thanking the heavens for Shiho.

"Thank you so much Shiho!" Cagalli said gratefully as she hugged Shiho, relieved.

"No problem, but you owe me one," Shiho said laughing.

* * *

"There you are, come on. We need to hurry," Cagalli said as she grabbed Shiho's hand on Saturday.

Both girls hopped on to the bus.

"Let me see the clothes," Cagalli said as she took the paper bag from Shiho.

She peered into it, she saw something white and it felt like cotton. She sighed with relief which means that it's casual.

"Thanks," she said as Shiho smiled.

Once they reached Central Orb, Cagalli changed out of her clothes into the ones that Shiho brought.

When she stepped out of the stall, she heard Shiho saying, "Wow, you look great!"

Cagalli rolled her eyes as she examined herself in the mirror.

The dress was a simple white sleeveless dress that flared out from her waist; it ended just above her knees. She was thankful for the white ballet flats that Shiho had brought for her. For her - heels equals walking menace.

"Don't you think it's a bit too white?' she asked uncertainly.

"No, it's fine. The light blue belt adds a bit of colour to it. It looks ok, perfect for a simple luncheon," Shiho reassured her.

Cagalli nodded, feeling slightly self-conscious. She disliked wearing dresses, not because it looked horrid on her. In fact she was blessed with a terrific figure that most girls would killed for, a figure that goes well with almost every type of dress known to fashion magazines. She disliked wearing dresses because of the looks that people gave her; it felt as if someone had deliberately shine a spotlight on her everywhere she goes. It unnerved her to be in the centre of attention. Most of the times, she just ignore it, but no doubt it did make her wish that she was wearing her jeans and t-shirts instead.

"Well ok then, I'm off. Thanks Shiho! I'll treat you to ice-cream someday," Cagalli said smiling, remembering how Shiho adores ice-cream.

Shiho's eyes lit up. "I'll hold you to it! I'll see you back in ZAFT."

Cagalli nodded as she gave a quick hug to Shiho before making her way to the _OZOROTH_.

Once at the entrance, she smoothed out her dress nervously; she just wanted it to be over.

"Cagalli!" a deep voice said.

Cagalli whirled around to face her father; she smiled as she hugged him.

"It's great to see you Dad!" Cagalli smiled.

"Likewise, and look at you! You look so pretty in that dress!" Uzumi complimented as he looked at his daughter up and down. "You should dress like this more often," he added.

Cagalli couldn't help an eye roll as her face flushed.

"Oh, you went shopping too?' Uzaumi said as he noticed the paper bag in Cagalli's hand.

"Er...sorta," Cagalli said as she shifted the paper bag holding her 'caleb' clothes from one hand to the other.

"Where are they?" she asked in an effort to steer the conversation away from dangerous waters.

"They should be here soon, let's go inside first," Uzumi said as he led the way in.

They chatted while they wait for Uzumi's friend and son. Cagalli looked towards the entrance and her body froze.

_Oh my god, I can't be that unlucky _she thought as her heart skipped a beat. She suddenly thought of something horrible. What if her father's old friend _is his father?_ Her Dad did say that his friend was bringing his _son._ What if…_Oh my god, it can't be? The world ain't that small_.

_Oh god please, is this my punishment for going to ZAFT? Or because I have been cursing at Yunna? I promised never to curse him or pull another stunt like this ever if you could make this nightmare go away. Ok maybe not _never_ curse him but bring it down a notch. Oh please, please…_

She glanced down, shaking her hair to hide some of her face as she waited in agonizing silence. Two men were making their way in their direction.

_Walk past…walk past…stop…stop…don't stop here…_she chanted silently as she eyed them out of the corner of her eyes.

She almost fainted when they stopped at her table.

"Uzumi!" a clear voice said.

"Takeshi!" Uzumi answered as he embraced his friend.

"So this is the young lady I've been hearing so much about,"

She wished that the cool pristine marble floor would just open up and swallowed her already.

"Yes, c'mon Cagalli," Uzumi said nudging Cagalli to stand up.

At that point in time, she would rather face the firing squad.

"C'mon Cagalli," Uzumi prompted again.

Correction, she would rather face a _whole_ battalion of soldiers armed with SAR-21 rifles.

Knowing that she could no longer stall without drawing suspicions, she reluctantly stood up and looked at Takeshi. He was a rather good-looking middle-aged man with just a hint of stubble, but what was most striking were his eyes.

She knew where _he _had gotten it from.

"Hi, I'm Cagalli," she introduced; she was surprised at how sturdy her voice sounded despite her insides being all jumbled up.

"Yes I know, a charming young lady," he said smiling.

Cagalli forced a smile, her heart thumping wildly in her chest; she knew what was going to happen next.

"This is my son," Takeshi said as he pushed a teenager forward.

"Shinn,"

Cagalli felt herself shaking as she forced herself to stand there, resisting the overpowering urge to bolt. She knew that if she bolted, her secret would be out in a heartbeat. She willed with every fibre of her body that Shinn would have enough sense not to rant her out.

Shinn grunted, obviously he was as thrilled to be there as she was. Shinn's eyes swept over Uzumi and then to her. She held her breath as she looked at his eyes, looking for any signs of recognition. His eyes swept over her before doubling back. His trademark red eyes widened as his jaws slackened.

"You!-You!-What the -how the -who the-Ah! Oh my god! Girl!"

She closed her eyes in horror. _Dear god…_

Takeshi looked slightly taken aback at his son's reaction.

"Yes Shinn, she's a girl. I'm sorry, I don't know what has gotten into him,"

"It's fine. Believe it or not, I get that a lot," Uzumi laughed good-naturedly.

Cagalli opened her eyes as she looked at Shinn's shocked face. She really felt like punching him.

"Let's sit shall we? Shinn," Takeshi said.

Shinn was still staring at Cagalli, if the situation wasn't so dire, his expression would seem almost comical. His eyes bulging, mouth opened in horror as he stood there like a statue.

"Shinn," his father said with more authority in his voice. Shinn's head jerked up as he nodded numbly. He sat across from Cagalli, his gaze still fixed on her. Cagalli felt her cheeks growing warm as she clenched her fists.

"Shinn, stop staring, you're making the young lady blush," Takeshi said in an almost amused manner. Cagalli felt her face twitched at his words. _Like hell…_she thought as her cheeks grew- against her wishes even warmer at Takeshi's words.

"Eh?" Shinn asked, confused. He wasn't aware that he was staring at Cagalli. The ground-breaking, earth-shattering news that Caleb Yula is actually a girl was still processing through his head.

"Looks like your son is quite taken by my daughter," Uzumi said laughing.

_At least the adults are getting a kick out of this. _She thought sourly.

Takeshi let out a low chuckle.

"Shall we order then?"

"Dad, you can order for me," Cagalli mumbled as her father nodded.

"Son, do you want me to order for you too?" Takeshi asked.

"Uh," Shinn mumbled in shock, he was still incapable of stringing letters to form a word found in the English dictionary.

While the adults were busy looking at the menu, Cagalli took out her hand phone. She quickly typed a message in it, thankful that the adults were distracted by the menu so they didn't notice her sliding her phone across the table.

_Don't say anything ANYTHING about ZAFT or else…_

Shinn read the message as a smirk appeared on his face. The initial shock had finally worn off. Cagalli suddenly felt wary as Shinn slid her phone back.

_Why shouldn't I? I think you dad would be very interested in your little stunt_

Cagalli felt her blood boiling as she furiously typed another message.

_You dare? I swear if you so much as breathe a word about it, you can start writing your epitaph, cuz you'll need it._

Shinn's eyebrows merely rose as he looked at Cagalli's angry eyes.

_I'm so scared I'm shaking in my pants._

Cagalli glared at him. Pissed that he was using her own words against her. Talked about irony.

_Shinn Asuka if you tell, I swear I will hunt you down torture you and feed your remains to the sharks. I SWEAR!!!_

Shinn merely smiled at her threat. Cagalli was fuming at his coolness.

"So children, how's school?" Takeshi asked once their orders were placed.

"It's awesome Dad, we got a couple of newbies in volleyball. There's this rather interesting guy in the team, do you want to know why Cagalli?" Shinn said as he glanced at Cagalli's horrified face.

_He wouldn't dare…_

"Can't say I want to," Cagalli said through clenched teeth.

"Why not? I think you would be rather interested to hear what I'm going to say," Shinn said smiling evilly, clearing enjoying the effects his words were having on Cagalli.

"Like I say I'm not interested in your little story," Cagalli said, her eyes blazing.

"Why? Is it because you already know? Well that can't be it; I mean you would have to be in ZAFT for that matter, are you?" Shinn continued he seemed to enjoy antagonizing Cagalli.

Cagalli was concentrating on breathing, she was practically seeing red.

"Of course not, I go to Emirates, how would I know anyone from ZAFT," she said trying to regain her calmness.

"Are you sure? I swore I saw you at ZAFT," Shinn said smiling as he watched her fume. It was taking all of her willpower not to hurl her drinking glass at him.

"Like I say I go to Emirates, not ZAFT, You must have mistaken me with someone else," she said evenly.

"You must be right then," Shinn said, as he leaned back with a superior smile.

Cagalli was seething with anger; oh he's going to have it.

"Aren't you going to tell us what's so interesting about this boy?" Takeshi asked.

"On second thoughts, he's not really interesting. Just some punk who thinks he could fit in when in actual fact he's just kidding himself. A pathetic wannabe who thinks that fists are the solution to all problems, a sad case don't you think Cagalli?"

Cagalli was taking deep breaths to calm herself down. She couldn't deny that the words stung as her face turned red as she remembered her fight with him.

She couldn't bring herself to answer him, she knew if she opened her mouth it would be screaming and shouting expletives at him.

"Cagalli? Are you alright?" Uzumi asked. "You don't look so good."

Cagalli cracked a small smile as she said in a controlled voice, "I'm fine."

"Well then, how about you?" Takeshi asked as he turned to Cagalli.

Cagalli took a deep breath and composed herself and (to her amazement) smiled before replying, "Emirates good, after that bully stop tormenting the kids at the school."

Uzumi looked at her alarmed.

"Don't worry Dad, I took care of it. I told him that he should stop bullying the kids because only cowards do that. Turns out he was an insecure and pitiable case who took advantage of kids who were easily intimidated to make himself feel good. Don't worry, with some counseling and much needed therapy he'll be alright. Though I'm not sure he'll ever be normal, because frankly I think he's a worthless coward," Cagalli said as she looked straight at Shinn.

Shinn red eyes flashed as he caught on the underlying meaning of her words.

"Is that so, well I'm glad that he's stop bullying. Kids like that ought to be taught a lesson, don't you think so Takeshi?" Uzumi said, turning to his friend.

"Oh yes, I'm just glad that bully stop his ways," Takeshi agreed, not knowing that Cagalli was indirectly talking about his son.

'Do you know something else?" Shinn said suddenly. Cagalli felt her muscles stiffened, she knew she was going to get it for her words just now.

The adults looked at him curiously waiting for him to go on.

"There was another guy in my volleyball team who really is a –" Shinn didn't finished his sentence as he let out a short yelp as water splashed all over him, soaking his maroon shirt.

A waiter had stumbled and accidentally dropped a pitcher of water on the table and the water spilled onto Shinn.

"What the-" Shinn said as he stood up immediately, his maroon shirt still dripping with water as the flustered waiter muttered apologies that he tripped over something.

Cagalli stifled a laugh as Shinn tried desperately to clean himself. Oh yes the waiter did trip over something – Her foot.

That's what you get for messing with Cagalli Yula Athha.

* * *

After Cagalli's little prank, Shinn remained silent about the whole ZAFT issue as the adults chatted happily away. Cagalli pushed the food around her plate, thinking about how was she going to explain to Shinn whom she's sure would have a million and one questions for her, and she was not particularly looking forward to it. All too soon, they were heading for the exit.

"Well Takeshi, it had been good seeing you, we should do this again," Uzumi said as his amethyst eyes lit up.

Takeshi nodded, "Of course, well until next time Uzumi." Both men exchanged handshakes as Takeshi and Shinn walked away. Maybe she'll get lucky, Shinn will get hit in the head and get amnesia and forget about the luncheon or better yet - an alien abduction.

Uzumi smiled as he turned to Cagalli, "You need a lift back?"

Cagalli eyes widened as she replied, "Nah, it's ok. I'm er- still meeting my friends after this. I'll go back myself."

Uzumi nodded. "Ok then Cagalli, I'll see you soon, I promised."

Cagalli smiled as she returned the hug. Despite the horrible twist, she was glad to see her father again. She felt a small stab in her heart as she watched her father walked away, it would be quite some time before she would see him again. She sighed as she turned and walked on. As she turned on a corner, she felt a hand pulling her causing her to stumble. She felt her back hit something warm and hard – like someone's chest, she let out a short gasp as her instincts kicked in. She struggled against the almost vice-like grip on her arm.

"You owe me an explanation," a familiar voice seethed.

Cagalli stopped struggling as she managed to finally wrench herself free. She took a step back as she glared at Shinn.

"I don't owe you anything," she said icily.

Shinn snorted as he replied, "Yes you do, and besides I'm holding the trump card in my hand – your little secret. So you're not really in any position to be dishing out conditions."

Cagalli's glare intensified.

"Fine," she finally relented. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything. What the hell are you doing in ZAFT masquerading as a guy?! What were you thinking?!" Shinn burst out.

Cagalli sighed as she told him her story(leaving out the twin thing) including the new information that Kayla had told her a few days ago. After hearing what Kayla had told her, it further strengthened her resolve to stay on in ZAFT to fight and win against Emirates. It turned out that budget was only part of the problem; it was like a convenient smokescreen for the real reason for the disbandment of the girls' team. The coach apparently did not like training the girls' team. He felt that it was a waste of time to be training the girls when he should be focusing on the boys' team. Kayla had found this out by accident when she overheard the coach talking to a teacher. Needless to say the girls' team was furious but there was little they could do, their only chance for revenge was Cagalli. Revenge that ZAFT will beat Emirates and then rubbed it in that pug-faced coach: That girls are just as good as boys.

"I see, your coach is a real jerk," Shinn said after hearing Cagalli's story. Cagalli was slightly surprised that the vampire was on her side.

"Yeah I know, so now there's no way I could just quit like this," she said.

Shinn nodded as he looked at her. "I can't believe you did all that because you want to beat Emirates. I don't know whether to call you admirable or crazy."

Cagalli snorted as they made their way to the bus stop to go back to ZAFT.

"It's a miracle that no one had found out your secret. That's something," Shinn said as they sat down on the bench, he stared ahead, thinking. Cagalli raised her eyebrows, is that suppose to be a compliment? She wondered.

Then Shinn gave a slight jump as he straightened, his red eyes growing bigger by the second as his mouth dropped. Once the realization that Caleb is a girl had settled in and he had the answers he wanted. Something hit him worse than realizing that Caleb is a girl.

"OH MY GOD! Oh freak! You're a girl!" Shinn exploded. "A girl!"

Cagalli jumped about a foot in the air as the other people in the bus stop turned to stared at them bewildered by Shinn's sudden epiphany.

Once her heartbeat returned to normal, she looked at him as though he just sprouted two heads.

"Shh…yes I'm a girl. I think we established that when you saw me wearing a dress. Can we get over it?" Cagalli said as she tried to calm Shinn down who was in her book - having a major meltdown.

"No! You don't understand! You're a girl," Shinn said agitated. Cagalli blinked at him.

"You're a girl," he repeated as though it was an explanation in itself. Cagalli felt her tolerance waning.

"I'm a girl. So?" Cagalli asked, perplexed.

"I bullied you, and I beat you up! I beat up a girl! Oh man! Oh crap…"Shinn's eyes widened as he remembered something else. "Oh freak and I got beaten up by a _girl_! Oh shit, if word got out that I got beat up by a girl. My rep will be ruined," Shinn lamented as he put his head between his hands and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs.

Cagalli looked at him incredulously before bursting into laughter.

"Is that all you're worried about? That your rep will be ruined?" Cagalli laughed.

Shinn raised his head to give Cagalli a pissed-off look.

"Shut up, stop rubbing it in. Can't believe I got owned by a girl," he muttered darkly as he sulked.

Cagalli rolled her eyes, still chuckling. Shinn wasn't that bad, right now he just looked like a little boy caught doing some misdeeds. Heck, he even had some sort of cracked-up humor in him.

"It's ok," Cagalli said with all the seriousness she could muster without breaking into another laughing fit as she tried to comfort Shinn. "I'll keep your little secret if you keep mine." She winked at him.

Shinn looked at her before breaking into a smile. Not a fake smile or a smirk but a genuine smile that reached his red eyes, filling them with warmth – like a sun. It made smiling back at him easy.

"Deal," Shinn said as he held out his hand. Cagalli shook it; maybe the vampire isn't all that bad. She decided.

Just then the bus arrived and picked them up.

"I'm sorry, you know for bullying you. Especially for beating you," Shinn said sheepishly.

"It is ok. The fight wasn't entirely your fault either," Cagalli replied as she thought back to that day. She couldn't help but felt ashamed of herself.

"I'm just glad that Kira intervened in time. Who knows what would happen if he did not? I think Rey and the rest would have gotten involved and you could be in a lot worse shape than you were," Shinn admitted slightly embarrassed. Cagalli felt her stomach lurched. Kira was right. She felt a strong rush of gratitude for him.

"Ya, I know. Kira's really awesome. I mean he helped me so much without realising it sometimes. And it's not just the fight," Cagalli said as she thought back to the many occasions when her secret was in imminent danger of being revealed. "I mean once after training when Athrun was practically dragging me to the changing room, he intervened though he acted rather strangely. Also there was this time when the guys were grilling me on Lacus, he helped me by diverting their attention. And then those menstru- I mean er _stomachache _pills he gave…me…" as Cagalli voice trailed off, she realized something big, with a sickening feeling in her stomach and the horror that was filling her eyes. "OH MY GOD! Kira knows! Oh my god! He knows!" She screamed out in shock.

This time it was Shinn's turn to hush her as some of the passengers turned to look at them, startled.

"That's it!" She continued in a lower voice as it became clearer to her, like she finally found the missing jigsaw puzzle. "It all makes perfect sense! The way he was always bailing me out like why he acted so strangely after _that _training. And why he never sent me to the nurses'! Now that I thought about it, I mean when your friend passes out after a fight, any logical person will send him or her to the nurses'! I mean who the hell will send the person back to his room?! And then _those pills_…he must have put two and two together and figured it out. Wow, no wonder he's on the honor roll," she said as slumped back on her seat. Somehow, she felt a lot better once she managed to figure it all out.

Shinn was silent as he listened to her. _Damn, that Kira's sharp_ he thought.

Then, there was the million dollar question.

"_How did he know?_" she wondered out loud as she frowned. She was pretty sure that she left no evidence behind, well except for her missing cardholder, but then Kira was in the hospital then so there's no way he could get a hold on it. It baffled her as to how did Kira saw through her, was he really a psychic? She remembered him jokingly telling her the day they met with the assailants.

"Why don't you just ask him?" Shinn suggested. "I mean it seems like he already knows that you're a girl."

Cagalli blinked at him as she processed his words.

"Good point. Think I will and boy he has a lot of grilling to look forward to," Cagalli said, a bit cheesed off that someone had managed to see through her disguise.

When they alighted, Cagalli was about to make a beeline for ZAFT gates, when she felt a hand holding her back.

"What?" she demanded irritably.

Shinn didn't replied, he merely glanced at her up and down and gave a look.

Confused, she looked down as her amber eyes widened, her cheeks flushing.

"Oops! I forgot. Thanks," she said as she realized that she was still wearing her dress.

"C'mon I know a place where you can change back into Caleb," Shinn said with a wry smile.

Cagalli rolled her eyes but she followed him as they made their way to the back of ZAFT Academy.

"Found the place in my first year in ZAFT, reckon I'm the only one who knew it exists," he grinned.

"Here," he said as he nudged her forward to go through an opening in the fences that was covered with vegetation.

Once they were through, Shinn led the way up to an off-white building that Cagalli recognized as the old science block.

"Quiet," he said softly as he guided her to an old stairway that was cleverly hidden among the trees. Apparently the gardeners don't bother about the science block since very little people come here after the newer one was built. Cagalli almost missed it if Shinn had not pointed it out to her.

"Up there, there is a small room that I think used to be where they keep some of the science equipments. It's not very big but it does have a killer view of the school compound. You can change there," Shinn said with a hint of pride at his secret hideout. Cagalli nodded. Shinn leaned casually against the wall as Cagalli rushed up to change back into her old clothes.

When she came down, Shinn looked at her.

"I think I like you better in a dress," he teased as Cagalli playfully punched him. She couldn't help but blushed at his comments.

Both of them headed back to their dormitory, it had been quite a hell of a day and she didn't want anything more but to crash on her bed.

She sneaked a glance at Shinn. Maybe having another person knowing her secret wouldn't be that bad, it would be nice to talk to someone without pretending to be somebody else. Though Shinn would most probably not be her first choice, but it is amazingly working out nicely. At least Shinn seemed to be over bullying her and was acting well – _Nice…_

_Could be worse_ she decided.

* * *

"Hey Athrun!" she greeted as she entered her room.

"Oh hi! Did you manage to find what you were looking for?" Athrun asked smiling brightly, it had been quite mundane without Caleb.

"Er-sort of," Cagalli lied, she had told him that she was on errands.

"Where's Kira?" she asked casually.

"Kira?" Athrun asked surprised. She didn't even ask how his day was but jumped straight to Kira? He felt a little annoyed.

"Didn't he tell you?" he questioned.

"Tell me what?" Cagalli cautioned.

"Kira went on an exchange trip with some other students. He'll only be back in two weeks," Athrun informed her.

"So he won't be here for the next two matches?" Cagalli asked, frowning.

"Yeah, but we'll be fine without him. We have a good team this year," Athrun smiled.

Cagalli managed a tight smile. Kira was gone for two weeks, that's two weeks of excruciating wait to find out how the hell Kira knew.

The suspense was killing her.

She sighed, well there wasn't much she could do unless she wanted to drag Kira back from wherever he was and demand an explanation.

Guess she had to wait then, two weeks.

_I could survive two weeks_ she thought.

* * *

Oh man, that was soooooo long! I wanted to name Shinn's dad - Takeshi Kaneshiro Asuka but then i thought it would be an overkill-haha:) Also for the sake of the story Uzumi has amethyst eyes.

The pace will be picking up cuz i more or less lay the foundations already. I'll admit that I'm not much of a comedian so I'll really appreciate if you'll be nice about it thankew:) So no flames!

Oh ya the reason for why it was Kira and not Athrun that saved her is in this chapter becoz i decided after all not to split this chapter into two.

Please review and let me know about your thoughts and suggestions about this and future chapters:) I really look forward to reading them!

-coolios (i love you so much for reading my fic!) Oh yes i almost forgot! **Happy Valentine's Day! -muacks from me to you!-**


	10. Chapter 10: Surprises

Yoz! I can't believe it's chapter 10 already! so fast!:)

To all my amazing and fabulous reviewers thank you so much for reading and reviewing!!! I love you guys so very much!! Plz contd to review!:)

Gundam SEED--not mine--so--don't sue

Inspired(not so much) by the Shakespearen play - Twelfth Night or (more) Hana Kimi or (a lot more but now lesser)She's the man all jumble together:)

ENJOY!!!:)))

* * *

The next two matches went almost effortlessly to ZAFT. Cagalli was riding on a volleyball high, when she was playing for ZAFT she felt _invincible_, the feeling was very different from what she felt when she played for Emirates, sure she felt great playing for Emirates with her friends playing alongside her, but it never really gave her the rush of knowing that the opponents were intimidated simply because you were wearing the ZAFT jersey. Everyone respects ZAFT and their top-notch volleyball team.

The only shadow over the victories of the two matches for Cagalli was the mystery of how Kira knew about her identity as a girl. It haunted her before class, in-between class, after class, during practices…But still she could not solve the mystery. It was eating at her and since she could not openly voice her frustrations, she ended up complaining to her friends about how two weeks were so long and that Kira should not have accepted the exchange trip when the volleyball team needed him more. Athrun was especially quite peeved about her sudden obsession with Kira, wondering if Kira did something to hoodwink Caleb. Furthermore after finding out that Kira knew her secret, she became rather paranoid, wondering if there anyone else who knew her secret. Thus these two weeks were rather hellish for her, so she couldn't be happier when the two weeks were drawing to a close.

"Caleb, what do you think?"

"Huh?" Cagalli asked a bit blur as she looked at her friends.

"Weren't you listening? You've been spacing out quite a bit these two weeks. Dearka was asking your opinion on having a surprise welcome back party for Kira," Yzak said frowning.

Cagalli smiled sheepishly, she had been spacing out. Whenever she was not doing anything she would be thinking about Kira and going through her memories for anything she missed. Therefore it earned her quite a few odd stares and reprimands from teachers and her friends.

"Sorry, a Surprise Welcome back party? Kira's only gone for two weeks," Cagalli said, raising her eyebrows.

"Two weeks, two months, pish. It's just numbers, we should still welcome him back," Dearka replied seriously.

"Is this another of your elaborate scheme to throw a party?" Yzak said rolling his eyes.

"Yzak! I am shocked! I, Dearka Elsman am more than just a party boy," Dearka said shaking his head as Yzak snorted.

"I think it's a good idea," Athrun piped in.

"You see? Even our great captain is seeing things my way. So the party would be this Saturday at Kira's place since we can't have a party on campus something about disrupting the tranquility of the compound. As if. Now if you all would excuse me, I got a party to plan," Dearka said as he bowed and walked away.

_A party_ Cagalli mused. _Hm…maybe in all the chaos and noise of the party I could drag him away to demand answers from him._

* * *

On the day of Kira's Surprise Party, the volleyball team went early to Kira's house to help set up for the party. Mr Yamato smiled as he let the boys in. Kira's house was a rather comfortable two-storey residence for a family of four. Mrs Yamato was away on a holiday with her sister while Kira's younger brother, Ren, was away in a boarding school. It was not as big as Cagalli's house but had a certain homely feel to it that her house lacked. She always felt her house was missing something.

The plan was for Mr Yamato to call Kira to come back on the pretence of having dinner and then they will all surprise him when Kira walked through the door. Simple.

"I think it's really nice of you boys to throw this party for Kira," Mr Yamato said as he smiled at the boys coming through his door.

"We're just glad he's back sir," Athrun replied smiling.

Mr Yamato nodded, as Cagalli passed him, he gave a small frown.

"You look very familiar, have I seen you somewhere before?" he asked.

Cagalli blinked at him, she was pretty sure that she had not met Mr Yamato before. "No, I don't think so sir. I just transferred to ZAFT this semester, I used to study in Emirates," she said politely.

Mr Yamato nodded as he gave a hesitant smile. "Oh I see, but still I think I've seen you somewhere before," he replied as he continued to look at Cagalli searching for any signs as to where he had seen her before.

Cagalli smiled back as she walked on, feeling slightly uneasy. Although she was more than certain that she had not seen Mr Yamato before, it wouldn't hurt to keep her distance from him in case he remembered her as Cagalli. Better be safe than sorry.

The team quickly got to work, decorating the place with balloons, streamers and a huge rainbow banner that screamed, 'WELCOME BACK KIRA!' hanging on a wall facing the main door so it would be the first thing that Kira would see when he walked in. The food was well not party food, it fact it looked more like a health club buffet - salads, sandwiches and other sort of low-fat and MSG-free food. There were no pizzas, sodas or chips! Well there were chips but it was those kind of health chips – not potato chips but _vegetable _chips. Who the hell ever heard of a high school party without junk food to stuff yourself silly until you throw up? Athrun had objected vehemently to junk food saying that eating all those party food two days before their match against Heliopolis Secondary was like suicide. The boys accepted however grudgingly, since the captain's words were final and also they didn't want to put themselves at a disadvantage during the match.

Despite Kira's house not being the most ideal place for a party since it couldn't accommodate a lot of people, Dearka was still able to put together a respectable guest list – All the volleyball boys and classmates but strictly no fan girls, to allow the boys to relax and enjoy themselves without worrying about half-crazed girls throwing themselves at them.

"Hey Caleb,"

Cagalli turned to the sound of the voice. "Oh hi Lacus," she smiled as she put down a platter of sandwiches.

"I think it's going to be a great party," Lacus said cheerfully.

Cagalli laughed. "A great party? Is it even a party? I mean look at our food? It looked more like a girly tea party for those snobbish airheads than a rocking high school bash!"

Lacus giggled before hesitating as if debating with herself to say what she wants to say.

"Caleb, there's something that I want to tell you," she finally said.

Cagalli looked at her quizzically.

Lacus shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Cagalli had never seen Lacus so flustered. She smiled to encourage the pink-headed girl; she seemed to draw courage from the smile.

"It's…um about Athrun,"

Cagalli felt the smile on her face froze, as her insides churned. Was Lacus going to admit her feelings for Athrun?

"What about him," Cagalli said testily. She wasn't sure if she wanted to hear the answer.

"You know I went on a date with him a couple of weeks ago and then he wouldn't stop erm…"

"Yes I know," Cagalli interrupted, she really did not want to hear _that _word. She also didn't like where this conversation was going.

"It's just that I realized while on the date with him I actually like someone else. I couldn't see Athrun that way, so I left him in the middle of our date. I felt so horrible about it that I apologized for my awful behaviour; I don't know what came over me that day. But I told him that I just want to be friends, I didn't dare tell him who the person was though he did ask-"

"Lacus, what are you trying to say?" Cagalli cut in, it wasn't like Lacus to be babbling and Cagalli was getting a bit impatient.

Lacus flushed as she cleared her throat.

"I-I guess what I'm trying to say is that I like-"

"He's here!" A voice cried out, drowning out Lacus's voice. Cagalli didn't catch the last bit.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?!" Cagalli practically shouted over the noise of people scrambling for places to hide and they were bumping into Cagalli and Lacus.

Lacus repeated what she said, but the noise was still too loud to hear her, Cagalli could only see her mouth moving.

"Lacus, I can't hear you, we'll continue this later. Right now we got to hide!" Cagalli said loudly.

Lacus looked embarrassed and slightly put out, but nevertheless she cracked a smile.

The lights went out, plunging the room into darkness. A couple of people were "Shh.."-ing loudly and unbelievably, the house went graveyard silent, except for the occasionally burst of giggles which was immediately squashed by a collective "Shh!" Everyone held their breath as they waited in eager anticipation for the guest-of-honor. They heard a click before the door opened and a shadow walked in and closed the door behind him. The guests waited with batted breath for Kira to switch on the lights. When the lights came on, a loud chorus of "SURPRISE!" erupted as Kira jumped up in shock, his amethyst eyes widening with astonishment as he took a moment to take in the happy faces and the decorations, before beaming and laughing as everyone gathered around Kira, some slapping his back, hugging him or shaking his hand. "Haha…thanks! Oh man! I didn't expect it…" Kira was saying over and over again. He was ecstatic that his friends had thrown him a party in his honor.

* * *

"Hey, when are you going to ask him?" Shinn said in Cagalli's ear as he came up beside her. The party was in full swing as Cagalli leaned casually beside the table of food. She gave a small jump when Shinn talked into her ear.

"Geez Shinn! You scared me! I don't know, I mean look! He's always surrounded by people," Cagalli said over the music blasting from the speakers. After Shinn has found out Cagalli's secret, he'd been really nice to her, though not that nice since it would raise suspicions on their relationship. Cagalli figured that it would be better to keep the relationship they had before than to come up with a story on how they turned from foes to friends. It would save both of them a lot of trouble since Cagalli wasn't exactly popular with Shinn's friends after she sort of pummeled them and vice versa on her side.

"I can help, but you need to find a quiet place to talk to him," Shinn said as he leaned against the wall trying to look passive. Cagalli nodded as she glanced around and noticed the staircase leading to the second floor. The living room and the dining room was partition by a wall, the staircase was on the other side of the wall, so that if Cagalli was to climb up the stairs, no one would be able to see her since majority was in the living room and not the dining room.

"Upstairs," she said as Shinn inclined his head ever so slightly as he walked towards Kira. Cagalli walked in the opposite direction to the stairs when she felt a tug on her shirt. She whirled around and saw Lacus.

"Lacus?" Cagalli asked surprised.

"Yes, about just now. I meant to say that…" Lacus began. Cagalli eyes scanned the living room and spotted amidst all the dancing people - Kira and Shinn. Shinn was whispering something to Kira as Kira looked at him dumbfounded but he nodded and excused himself from his friends and walked or rather _squeezed_ his way through the crowd.

_Shit…I need to get up there before him,_ Cagalli thought urgently.

"I'm sorry, but can we continue this later. I need to go somewhere," Cagalli interrupted her for the third time that day. Cagalli hastily shook off her hand, barely registering the shock and troubled look on Lacus's face. She thronged her way through the crowd and sprinted up the stairs. To her relief, Kira had not arrived yet. She looked around her; the second floor had a common area before leading to the different rooms. There was door to the right of her, two doors to her left and another door in front of her. On the walls there were pictures of Kira and his family. _He looked really adorable when he was young_ she thought as she smiled.

"Caleb?"

Cagalli twisted around as she saw Kira looking at her bewildered. "What are you doing up here?" he asked as he stood in front of her.

Cagalli opened her mouth to answer but nothing came out, she had Kira right where she wanted and she was having a mental block, all the questions that she wanted to ask flew out of her brain faster than birds after hearing a gunshot.

Kira raised his eyebrows as Cagalli stared foolishly at him before saying,

"How did you know?" she blurted out.

Kira looked perplexed. "Know what?"

"That I'm a girl," she responded.

Kira was stunned, how did _she_ found out? Before becoming uncomfortable.

"Erm…at the hospital. The nurse said that you were a girl…" he said slowly, he wasn't sure how to phrase the other part without making him sound like a pervert.

"And you believe her?" Cagalli asked dubiously. "C'mon Kira, I don't think you would believe her that easily."

"Um…of course not. I mean I don't believe everything without proof…" he said feeling a bit indignant.

"And what was your proof?" she inquired.

"M-My proof?" Kira swallowed. He was panicking; he had a really bad feeling that she wouldn't take to his proof well. "Um…my proof," he repeated trying to stall, his eyes unconsciously looking at Cagalli's chest. Cagalli, who was still looking at him, saw his eyes staring at something on her. Confused, she glanced down before looking at the stuttering boy. Then it struck her – _Kira's proof._

Her face went fire-engine red.

"Oh…Oh…you…_Oh my god_…" Cagalli faltered as she took in quick short breaths.

"Kira…" she seethed, she wasn't too pleased at the revelation.

Kira gulped as he blushed horribly as well. He was mortified at being found out.

"I-I'm sorry! It-It was the only thing I could think of, I'm-I'm sorry!" Kira said blubbering helplessly under Cagalli's furious amber eyes.

"You-You," Cagalli said outraged. She raised a hand to slap him and was about to bring it down when Kira seized her hand.

"Sh…listen," he said as his eyes narrowed.

"If you think you could get out-thffwws" Kira's other hand clamped over her mouth before she could finished. She glared at Kira but then her ears picked up something. It sounded like footsteps…coming…coming up the stairs!

"C'mon," Kira said hurriedly as he pulled Cagalli to the door in front of them. Cagalli didn't protested since they could not be found on the second floor after Mr Yamato had specifically told them that the second floor was out of bounds. They would be in trouble if anyone found them here.

The room was pitch-black when Kira closed the door; it took a while for Cagalli's eyes to adjust to darkness. Both of them pressed their ears against the door, straining to hear a sound.

"By the way, what's your real name?" Kira asked curiously.

"Cagalli," Cagalli whispered back. "Shh…I think the person is coming this way."

She was right. The footsteps were coming closer and closer.

"Of all the four rooms, you had to pick this one," Cagalli hissed irritably. She received a light thud on her head. She turned her head to glare at Kira while rubbing the place he hit her on her head.

"Shit, I think it's my Dad, we got to hide," Kira whispered, he grabbed Cagalli and dragged her further inside the room. Cagalli could just make out the faint outlines of furniture with the weak moonlight coming through the window; it looks as if they were in a study room. Kira led her behind a couch as both of them sat behind it. Cagalli was still holding Kira's hand, her heart thumping as she squeezed Kira's hand. Kira squeezed back as if to reassure her. Both of them held their breath when they heard the door opened before light flooded the room. Cagalli blinked rapidly, her eyes hurting slightly from the sudden brightness.

Cagalli's heart was in her throat as she sat rigid on the carpeted floor, afraid of making any movements. She was thankful because of their hiding spot which was between the couch and the blank wall with a space enough for one person to walk through, she was pretty confident that Mr Yamato or whoever it was would not be able to find them unless they wanted to admire the single vase to the extreme left of her in the corner of the room. Other than that, there was no reason for them to be discovered. However, the fact did nothing to soothe her nerves, because the person was still less than fifteen feet from their hiding place.

Kira nudged Cagalli as he made a hand signal for him to check on their situation. She nodded numbly as Kira crept to the edge of the couch to peer around it. It was indeed Mr Yamato and his back was facing Kira. He seemed to be absorbed in something as he stood in front of his desk. Kira quickly withdrew his head when Mr Yamato turned to walk behind his desk to sit in his swivel armchair. Kira crawled back to Cagalli and gave a small smile to reassure her. He was slightly alarmed at the paleness in her face. The poor girl was scared. He did not know what came over him but there was a sudden strong urge to comfort her, to take away the fear. So he wrapped his left arm around her shoulders and rubbed it in a comforting way. Cagalli looked a tad shock as she looked at him before smiling, her eyes grateful.

_Ring!!_

They both gave a slight jump, as their heartbeat quickened. Both sat frozen in their position, too scared to check whose phone was it.

"Hello?"

Both of them let out a simultaneous sigh of relief as they relaxed, before taking out their phones and switching it off. Better not take any chances. Kira withdrew his arm from Cagalli's shoulder to peek again. He saw his father peering over a few sheets of papers that looked like letters as he held a phone to his ear.

"Oh yes, I was expecting your call," Mr Yamato said, smiling tightly. Kira returned to his position beside Cagalli who was visibly much calmer.

"Kira's fine. He's doing great; in fact his friends are downstairs throwing him a welcome back party."

"Who is it?" Cagalli mouthed to Kira. Kira shrugged, he was just as clueless as her.

"I'm doing well too…yes I was about to reply your letter when you call…Oh? I see…then it's lucky you caught hold of me before I replied your letter…problems with the operations again? Ah…yes of course…Of course if there's anything I could help with…Sigh…you say that every time Uzumi. You don't need too, we're old friends and I did what I could then to help your family…"

_Uzumi?_ Cagalli's ears perked up. _Her father? _She frowned as she continued to listen to the conversation intently.

"You know if you want to acknowledge Kira, I won't stop you. Both me and Mako love Kira tremendously and we only want him to be happy…"

Cagalli turned her head to Kira; his expression was stiff but his eyes. She could see the confusion in them. What was going on? She really wanted to snatch the phone away from Mr Yamato and demand an answer. But she did not, her mind was telling her to sit and listen.

"What about your daughter? Cagalli?..." Cagali's eyes widened at this.

"...Don't you think she had the right to meet her twin brother? They are after all siblings, Uzumi," Cagalli could hear the slight persuasion in Mr Yamato's voice. _Yes Dad! I have the right the meet my twin! _She wanted to scream out.

"Yes…yes…I know your reason Uzumi…but you have done a lot for Kira, I mean part of his ZAFT school fees was paid by you! Without you, we won't be able to give Kira the opportunity he now has…Sigh…it's your call Uzumi."

Cagalli didn't realize that she had been holding her breath; she had finally found her twin! It was Kira! But she dared not turn to see Kira's expression.

"Oh!...No… Sorry, it's just that I finally realize who Kira's friend reminded me of. Your daughter…Yes I know your daughter's in Emirates…hm…he did said that he was from Emirates, maybe students from Emirates all look alike…yes yes of course it couldn't be your daughter unless your daughter some how became a boy…"-chuckles-

Cagalli's eyes widened when she heard Mr Yamato saying that he recognized her. Maybe Mr Yamato attended one of those boring parties that her father sometimes made her go, that could explain how he recognized her since she didn't pay much attention to her father's friends preferring to stand by the buffet table instead.

"Ok then…I'll see you when you get back to Orb then…bye."

As Mr Yamato got off the phone, he let out a sigh; there was a slight creak as he leaned back on his armchair. There was pause before a louder creak and then footsteps before they heard the door opened. A small click as the lights went off before the room became dark again when Mr Yamato closed the door behind him.

Cagalli didn't realized how quiet the room was, it was then she understood why people said that silence is deafening because that was how it felt, the long and heavy silence that hung in air was petrifying and loud. She was at a loss, should she turned to Kira and sobbed that she'd finally found her twin? Or act as if she had never heard the conversation? She was afraid because she didn't know what Kira's reaction would be. What if he did not want to acknowledge her? What if he rejected the idea of them being twins? Or worse scoffed at it?

She knew that she could not put if off any longer, she turned to Kira who at the exact same time turned to face her. They stared at each other in the darkness; she could see the moonlight reflecting off in Kira's eyes. She saw in his eyes – hurt, confusion and lost. Feelings that she knew was mirroring in her own eyes. But amidst all that, there was a moment of clarity or comprehension. They knew that it was true, whatever Mr Yamato had said about them. There was no doubt about it. You can call it intuition, gut feeling heck you can even call it ESP. It didn't mattered, because they know that what was important then was a more pressing question.

_What now? _

* * *

OMG! (i can imagine my readers all wide-eyed after reading this chapter)

Ya i know it's cliche but then it wouldn't be a Twelfth Night/Hana Kimi fic w/o a lil' girl likes boy-who-is-really-a-girl action would it? :)

Remember to review! Please! Thankyou!

-coolios (Luv u loadds -muacks-)


	11. Chapter 11: Things cannot get any worse

I am so so so sorry about the super duper long delay....I could tell you the reasons why I took so long but that is another story by itself filled with drama and suspense(results!), joy, sadness, stress and a whole lot of shopping...On a brighter note I did well in my A levels! Haha so now I can write freely without worrying about it!:)

Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers....Thank you so much. You have no idea how happy your reviews make me!:) So keep those reviews coming!

Inspired(not so much) by the Shakespearean play - Twelfth Night or (more) Hana Kimi or (a lot more but now lesser)She's the man and Breaking Dawn all jumble together:)

ENJOY!!!:)))OK re-edited again as of 14th March. Esp the Kira and Cagalli part. I'm having a bit of trouble with keeping Kira in character. If u still feel that he was ooc, tell me why and how I can improve it. Thanks.

* * *

Cagalli was lying on her bed, staring at the dark ceiling. She could not go to sleep. In fact she had not had a good rest since coming back from Kira's house. Kira had decided to spend his weekend with his father and would only be back on Monday for ZAFT's match against Heliopolis. Cagalli glanced to her right where Athrun was sleeping, his back facing her. She sighed as she turned away to face her wall. Tomorrow was their match and she was having insomnia. So much has happened since Saturday's night that it was affecting her badly. Hopefully in a few moments she would be able to drift off to sleep. She didn't want to think about her problems; at least the sleep will be an escape from her worldly woes. When she closed her eyes, she found herself thinking back to the dark room.

* * *

-Flashback-

_After Mr Yamato had left, both she and Kira was sitting on the carpeted floor as they looked at each other, both with the same question in their eyes. There was a long stretch of silence before Cagalli turned away. _

"_Did you know?" Cagalli asked quietly. Her voice echoed loudly in the silent room._

_A pause._

"_Yeah, my father had told me when I was old enough to understand, that I was adopted. But he never told me who my biological parents were, despite asking him many times. He always said the same thing – 'Not now son, patience.' And then after a while, I just stop asking."_

_Cagalli stayed quiet, digesting his words. She had only recently found out about her twin when she came across a photo of her mother holding two babies in her father's room. He had explained to her about the photo and the other baby. She was initially angry with her father, but then she realized that if her father had not given her brother away, there was a good chance that one of them would die because her father simply could not afford to support two children at the same time. So rather then sacrificing one twin, it would be better to give one away. She knew that the decision was not an easy one for her father or anyone to make, but it had to be done._

"_Mom died when I- I mean we were three, the pregnancy took a huge toll on her already frail body, she was only able to survive three more years, before passing away two months before our fourth birthday," Cagalli said softly, her voice catching in her throat._

"_Oh…I'm sorry," Kira said automatically, he didn't know what to feel. He knows that he should feel sad but he didn't. His voice sounded like someone who had seen a sad movie or hear a sob story and was not affected as much but merely said it because it was the appropriate thing to say. This didn't go unnoticed by Cagalli._

_She looked at him. "What do you mean?" _

_Kira turned to her, "Huh?"_

_She took a shuddering breath. "The way you said it, it sounded as if you didn't care about our mother. The one who gave you life!"_

_Kira was in shock. He had finally gotten the answer to his questions, but somehow he didn't felt elated but confused. It was as if the answer had opened up a million more questions. He spoke the one thing on his mind. "I don't deny that she gave me life. But I've never met her Cagalli, at least you knew what she look like, sound like, and feel like. She's like a complete stranger to me. I'm sorry, I can only sympathize I can't empathize."_

_Cagalli couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her own brother was saying that their mother was a stranger? How could it be? How could he be so unfeeling? It's their mother for God's sake!_

"_How could you say that?" her voice barely a whisper "How could you call your own mother a stranger?" _

_Kira turned his face away feeling the familiar twinge of guilt. He knew how his words had stung Cagalli badly, but he couldn't help himself. He couldn't comprehend how can anyone, _anyone_ give up their own flesh and blood? To him, there will never be a good enough excuse to abandon a baby. "Cagalli, this is all too much. I need time. We both need time. We'll talk about this again," And with that Kira stood up and left the room, never looking back._

_Cagallileaned her head against the back of the couch, she couldn't help but feel upset. Their mother was a wonderful person; she didn't deserve the insult she gotten from her son. _

"_Mom…I wish you were here," _

-End of flashback-

* * *

Cagalli opened her eyes, sad to see that the room was still dark. She sighed as she tossed in bed and found herself staring at Athrun's back again. She squeezed her eyes shut as another horrible memory surfaced.

* * *

-Flashback-

_After the party (which ended well over midnight), Cagalli, Athrun, Yzak and Dearka were helping to clean up the mess. When they finished, it was close to four in the morning. They were exhausted; however the first bus won't be in service until 5.30am. Dearka and Yzak crashed on Kira's couch declining Kira's offer of the use of Ren's room. They were zonked out the minute their bodies hit the couch. _

_Cagalli though tired, couldn't sleep. Her mind still thinking about the incident upstairs, deciding that she needed some air, she went out to the front porch and sat on the steps. Her head resting against a pillar, the cool air was refreshing, brushing across her face. _

_She heard the door opened._

"_Can I talk to you?" A voice said. _

_Cagalli looked up, her face questioning._

_She nodded._

_Athrun did not sit beside her but stand across from her. Cagalli stood up, facing him._

'_Why didn't you give Lacus a chance?" Athrun asked, his eyes accusing._

_She blinked at him. "Huh?"_

_Athrun's eyes were cold, reminding her of their first encounter._

"_Lacus was very upset, what's wrong with you?" he demanded angrily._

"_What are you talking about?" Cagalli asked she was beyond confused._

"_Lacus was trying to tell you that she likes you! You didn't even give her a bloody chance! You brushed her off not once but twice! What the hell is the matter with you?" Athrun said furiously, his emerald eyes infuriated._

_Cagalli was dumbstruck. This was too much, first Kira and now Lacus? She vaguely recalled Lacus trying to get her attention, it felt so long ago, despite it being only less than twelve hours ago. How could so many things happen at a party? She grimaced, knowing that it was partly her fault that Lacus likes her. She shouldn't have been so _girl_. She should have acted like a self-conceited jerk. _

"_Athrun, I didn't know. It's just that I have so much on my mind. And besides I don't like Lacus that way. I only think of her a friend," Cagalli said, trying to clear the air._

_Athrun looked- no _glared _at her. Cagalli felt herself shrinking, but she held her ground. She needs to clear this mess – _Now

"_Let me explain everything to her tomorrow ok?" she said, trying to smile._

"_Why? I don't get it? What's so bad about Lacus?" Athrun inquired as he crossed his arms._

"_Nothing's bad about her. She's a wonderful girl. It's just that I don't _like _her that way," Cagalli said, trying not to sound exasperated._

"_I don't get it, explain," Athrun said defiantly. _

_Cagalli sighed, feeling irritation bubbling inside her. He was being difficult, why couldn't he just accept her explanation? She wasn't in the mood to come up with a lie and she had more pressing issues to deal with than to stand here and explain to him her reasons. It was then she made her first mistake._

"_I don't have to explain anything to you," she snapped._

_Athrun narrowed his eyes at her, "Fine, you don't want to tell, then don't. But let me tell you, if you break Lacus's heart, you have to answer to me," he said frostily._

_Cagalli felt herself wincing at the coldness, it was breaking her heart._

"_Athrun, I'm sorry. I didn't –"_

"_Save it," Athrun said, cutting her off._

_She fell silent immediately as Athrun walked back into the house. _

_She sank to the ground. "Stupid, stupid! Why did you have to snap at him?" she mumbled as she hit her forehead again and again with her fists. _

'_Argh!" she let out a frustrated cry._

– End of flashback_–_

* * *

Athrun had not spoken to her since their little fight. For the whole Sunday, he avoided her. He crashed at Dearka's room when they came back to ZAFT, leaving Cagalli alone in the room. She felt her chest tightening, constricting her windpipe. She let out a slow breath, easing the discomfort. Breathe, breathe, breathe. She needed to fix this mess. Starting with Lacus, so that afternoon she called her.

"Hello?" a soft voice answered.

"Hey Lacus! This is Caleb," Cagalli said trying to sound cheerful.

"Oh…" Cagalli could hear her voice fell by a bit, but she refused to let it get to her.

"Um…Lacus, could I meet you? At the Track and Field bleachers? In say fifteen minutes?" Cagalli held her breath.

There a moment of silence before Lacus replied, "Ok."

"Cool, see you in fifteen!" Cagalli said brightly.

After she ended the call, she slumped back on her bed, her cheerfulness zapped out of her as soon as she hit the 'end call' button.

_Man…they should come up with a handbook for this kind of stuff _she thought as she grimaced; thinking how was she going to let Lacus down without a heartbreak. It was impossible to say no without someone's heart getting broken. The least she could do was to make it as painless as possible. She sighed as she shook her head, pushing Kira and Athrun out of her head. She got to focus.

* * *

Cagalli sat on top of the bleachers, watching the empty track below. It was strange to see it so empty. Cagalli turned as she heard footsteps. Lacus was behind her, walking hesitatingly as she sat down beside Cagalli.

"Um…hi," Cagalli half-smiled. Laucs acknowledged her greeting with a nod.

"Um…" Cagalli started, her face flushing slightly. It was not as if she never rejected people before, and she had done it without batting an eyelid. But this was different. Lacus was a very nice girl and a potential good friend if she forgives Cagalli for causing her this heartache and trauma of falling for a girl who was disguised as a boy. Lacus was not the same as those loser baboons who think that everyone ought to be grateful to be in their presence. So it was very hard for her to reject Lacus.

She took a deep breath before plunging.

"Athrun told me and I…um sorry but I can't reciprocate your feelings. I'm sorry!" Cagalli bit her lower lip as she steeled herself for Lacus's response.

Lacus's gaze was transfixed on her, her blue eyes slightly glazed.

_Oh god, she's going to cry! Oh god! Please don't! _Cagalli willed her silently.

"I pretty much expected it. It was just wishful thinking on my part. It's ok," Lacus said softly as she turned away from Cagalli, her fists clenching on top of her white skirt.

'I'm sorry, Lacus. I really am. You're a wonderful girl. It's just that I…I can't. I'm sorry," Cagalli said apologetically. Her voice getting stuck in her throat, she disliked being around crying people or people going to cry when she's upset. Somehow, she will end up doing the same. Usually comforting people had always been one of her strong traits. But today, with so much going on, it was hard to comfort Lacus when she couldn't even comfort herself.

She took another deep calming breath as she began to feel the sadness in her face as she clenched her jaws, willing the sadness to stop making its ascend to her eyes.

"It's not your fault Caleb, I'm fine, really," Lacus said as she turned to Cagalli with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Cagalli knew she was lying. But there was little she could do without exposing herself. Cagalli remained quiet. Sometimes silent is better than words.

"I got to go, I'll see you tomorrow. Lacus I'm really sorry. Can we still remain friends?" Cagalli said at last, smiling sincerely. She like Lacus, she was a good friend.

Lacus smiled, her eyes cheering up slightly at her words. "Of course Caleb! Good luck for tomorrow!"

_Tomorrow, oh yeah. The match. _Cagalli remembered. She nodded as she walked away, leaving Lacus sitting there. Cagalli knew that Lacus wanted to cry. Call it women's intuition or many years' of experiences from comforting grieving girl-friends. Crying is after all the first step to recovery from heartbreaks.

She made a mental note to herself that when this is over, she would accompany Lacus on her shopping trips, even to the ghastly shop with the pink lace and frills adorning its entrance.

* * *

Cagalli sighed as she turned in her bed again, getting restless. She was relieved that Lacus didn't take too hard and that she was slowly clearing up the mess. At least Athrun had come back in the night to their room. She closed her eyes, maybe this time, sleep will really come. And it did.

* * *

"You ok?" Shinn muttered as he pretended to tie his shoelaces as he knelt next to Cagalli who was sitting on the bench.

"I'm fine," she mumbled back shooting him a reassuring smile which Shinn didn't buy. But he let it pass; it was not his place to pry. He gave a small nod and a quick smile as he stood up and walked away.

The match against Helipolis was about to commence as the team sat in the locker room, Cagalli sneaked a glance to Kira who was in deep conversation with Yzak and Dearka. Kira had not spoken to her yet, but he did acknowledge her with a short nod and an equally short smile when he entered the locker room.

_At least he's not completely ignoring me unlike some bonehead…_she thought bitterly. Athrun was still maintaining his distance from her; Cagalli couldn't believe how petty Athrun was being! Geez and here she thought that only girls hold grudges, apparently guys do as well especially sensitive new age arrogant volleyball captains. How long is he going to stay mad at her? Cagalli sighed, she was hoping that it would not drag on much longer; she couldn't stand the hostility between them.

She shook her head all that could wait; right now she has a match to prepare. As she closed her eyes and began to concentrate, trying to rid her brain of distractions and focused on the upcoming game. The thrill, the cheerings and the energy. She was in the zone. Her body fired up, her mind clear and alert. She was ready to kick some Heliopolis butt!

* * *

As the players emerged to cheering fans, Cagalli paid little attention to them, but focused on the players instead. Both teams warmed up before the umpire blew the whistle.

BEEEPPP!!! The whistle rang as both team ceased their warm-up and went to their coaches. Coach Mwu was giving them the usual pre-game talk.

"…their libero is a newbie, from what I see he's a bit jumpy and nervous so Yzak…you know what to do...first team – Yzak, Athrun, Zane, Caleb, Shinn and Shou. Now get out of there and knock them dead!" The team nodded as they did their cheer – "GO ZAFT Knights! Champions!"

Cagalli walked with the other five players to the court, her eyes scanning the crowd as they waited for the officials to get ready, her topaz orbs sizing up the Heliopolis supporters. Cagalli's eyes travelled upwards to the last row, she felt her body freeze as her gaze riveted on the five individuals seated up there. When she finally tore her eyes away, she felt the world around her caving in.

_It can't be…_she thought numbly. She double-checked. _It could be…her worst fears._

"Caleb? You ok?" Shou asked, his eyebrows scrunched up in worry.

"Y-Yes," Cagalli managed to stammer out.

Shou clapped a hand on her shoulder. "Don't show fear," he said softly but with firmness in his voice.

Cagalli nodded quickly. Oh she was feeling fear alright but not from her opponents but from what was seated in the last row. It was the very thing that spurred her to come to ZAFT. The root of her vengeance.

It was Yunna and his minions of idoiticity.

* * *

Cagalli's mind was whirling. What were they doing here? Emirates did not have a game till next week. Kayla had told her so. The only conclusion she could draw was that they were here to suss out their competition this year or more specifically – ZAFT. She took another quick look – She saw Yunna and four other boys which she recognized as part of Emirates's volleyball team. They seemed bored as they slouched in their seats. They didn't seem to recognize her – yet, which is a good thing. However, she knew that once the game starts, they will, especially if she receives the ball. Since all eyes will be on her and naturally theirs will be too. It didn't help that she wasn't in much disguise; she still had her blond hair and trademark amber eyes. She had only put on sideburns and thicker eyebrows to 'boy' up her already tomboyish appearance. She would bet her whole life savings that Yunna will recognize her in a heartbeat; after all she was his girlfriend less than three months ago. Somehow the idioms of being stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea and caught between a rock and a hard place came to her mind. It literally summed up her current predicament.

She can't go out and play and risk exposing her true identity but she couldn't possibly back down without explaining why and letting her teammates down and again, risk exposing her secret. Either way it seemed that the charade may come to an end in less than fifteen minutes unless a third door materialized, but unfortunately she was unable to locate the elusive third door.

_Calm down Cagalli…calm down. Just try not to draw attention to yourself…Blend in. _She thought. Bloody hell! How was she going to do that? There were only six freaking players on the court! She had 50% chance of touching the ball less than a minute into the game, and 100% chance of the purple-haired freakshow recognizing her!

She had no choice, she had to sit this one out and let another player sub her. This was the best 'third door' that she could find. She walked to her coach who was talking to the bench players.

"Um…coach? Can I…sit this one out?" she asked nervously, her heart pounding rapidly in her chest, echoing the drum beats filling the arena. Only hers were much faster.

Coach Mwu turned to look at her in surprise. The other bench players within earshot were mirroring his look. Cagalli felt her face burning up.

"Why?" Coach Mwu asked. Caleb was one of his most energetic and talented player and from previous matches he could tell that he was eager to get out there and prove his worth. It didn't seem like Caleb to be asking to be benched.

"I-er…er not feeling well…"she said weakly. She really really wanted to get out of there. The overwhelming urge to just bolt through the swinging doors that led out of the court was killing her and her abilities to lie.

Coach Mwu's eyes narrowed. "Hrumph…I didn't hear you saying anything about it just now," he said suspiciously.

"Er…I dunno, it's not like I can control when I'm going to be sick…" she said hurriedly as she risked a glance to the last row.

"I need a better answer than that," Mwu said curtly.

BEEEEPPPP! The whistle rang, it sounded eerily like a doomsday bell tolling.

"I don't know what your problem is, but you better get out there _NOW_…" Mwu said severely as he pointed to the court.

"B-but Coach…" Cagalli protested desperately, her heart thumping louder and faster than ever. The sickening feel in her stomach was growing at an alarming rate. She was debating whether to get on her knees, such was her desire not to play.

"NO Buts! Caleb, I am disappointed in you. Now you better take your ass out there right now!" Mwu said with clear anger in his voice. The bench players were taken aback; they had never seen Coach Mwu so angry. Cagalli felt herself flinching from his tone. She had no choice as the game was about to start and Coach Mwu was obviously not going to back down. Her sense of loyalty to her team was greater than her innate instinct to flee from the danger.

She ran back to the court as she tried desperately to make herself as invisible as possible. She was panicking, she suddenly felt that all eyes were on her, including the unwanted five pairs. _Is this what stage fright felt like?_ She wondered. Hands sweaty, mind blank, pulse racing. She took a deep breath as the umpire threw her the ball. She felt claustrophobic, as though all eyes were closing in on her and there was no way out. She was rooted to the ground; she could have sworn she heard gasps from the top row.

"Caleb…Caleb…Cagalli!" Shinn hissed beside her.

Cagalli snapped out of her trance, she was just being paranoid. Her mind was playing tricks on her.

She took her position outside the court as she held the ball out-stretched and tossed it upwards and took a jump shot. The minute her hand hit the ball, she knew she had used too much strength. Sure enough the ball went out of court giving Heliopolis a point. She closed her eyes; she was too distracted as she heard the Heliopolis crowd cheering. It felt like a slap to her face. When she opened her eyes two seconds later, she saw the five players on the court with her shooting her shocked glances. She knew why. She had never _ever_ over or under estimated that shot. Ever. She felt her jaw clenched as another ball was passed to her again. Dribbling the ball, she set it over the net. She played it safe as the ball came down to the middle of the opponent's court.

Heliopolis easily send the ball back over, but Athrun managed to jump and blocked it before the ball even seen ZAFT's court. The ball ricocheted back to the Heliopolis side. Its blinding speed caught them off guard and the score was tied.

Cagalli bit her lower lip as she let Shinn take the next serve. She deliberately faced her back to the Heliopolis side, so it would be harder for _them _to recognize her. However by placing herself in that way, she became vulnerable to attacks from Heliopolis. If they were to strike in her side, she wouldn't have the time to save the shot. It didn't take long for Heliopolis to figure this out. After the score was at 13-10 with ZAFTleading, a Heliopolis player spiked the ball to her spot, she turned to save the ball, but it was too late. The ball had seen the ground as the Heliopolis supporters erupted in cheers. Her teammates nodded encouraging at her believing it to be a case of bad luck; her face was too tense to smile back.

Cagalli was getting flustered as she tried to think of ways of better cover her area without _they _seeing her. But she couldn't, so her weak spot became a points mining haven for Heliopolis who was taking advantage of this. 17-15, ZAFT still leading,

Cagalli was frustrated that the opponents were making her ZAFT's Achilles heel. She could see it in their haughty puny eyes and their little smirks. They were practically mocking her as a volleyball player. When the next ball came, the fire within her to burn off their mocking faces was so strong that she turned and dug underneath the ball, but she forgotten about the trajectory as the ball changed its course faster than a blink of an eye and was out of the court. 17-16, ZAFT holding on to a one point lead.

She cursed as her teammates' faces were stoic, it didn't take a genius to know what was going to through their mind right now. As Heliopolis took the next serve, Cagalli took up her position, trying to put as many or well two players in the line of view to hopefully block them from seeing her. As the next ball came flying towards her, Cagalli expertly dug underneath it and send it to Zane. If they thought she was the ticket to their victory against ZAFT, boy were they wrong. Score! 18-16 as Shinn killed Heliopolis's hopes for another point with his spike.

Despite it, it was still too close to comfort, it was slim lead and it was still anybody's game at the moment. Cagalli set her jaw, she had no choice but to endure the first set and prayed that they did not recognize her or write her off as a 'I've seen you…but I can't remember when…"

The first set went naturally to ZAFT, despite Cagalli's horrendous performance today. ZAFT's impeccable skills were more than enough to make up for it. The match ended in 26-24, it was close. Too close, almost a hair's breath away from losing the set.

Cagalli was only too glad that the set was over, as she lowered her head and walked back to the benches.

"That was…close…really…really close," Coach Mwu said, echoing the views of the team. Cagalli looked down ashamed.

"Caleb, what were you doing? You were practically giving away points! You were so distracted and unfocused! What the hell is wrong with you today?" Coach Mwu said in fury, it was obvious that he was holding it in for too long. His face was turning purple, his eyes blazing as he glared at Cagalli.

"I told you…not well," she said lamely as her face grew hot. She knew her teammates were looking at her.

"Bullshit! Don't give me that crap Caleb!" Coach Mwu shot back. Cagalli fell silent, her eyes burning as her nose ached. She clenched her fists.

"I'm sorry Coach, I really am. But I'm really not well. I can't play if you want to win," she said as calmly as her shaking voice would allow it. She could only hold out for so long.

Mwu studied her before making his decision.

"Fine, Yula you will sit out of the game. Kira, you will take his place. I have better see some real action out there. Am I clear?" Mwu said as he looked at his team.

"Yes Coach," the boys responded before breaking away.

Cagalli slumped on the hard bench, trying to ignore the looks that she knew she's getting. However, she couldn't relax because the bench was facing the Heliopolis supporters which included Yunna and his gang. She needed to get out of there _now_.

"Coach, I need to go,"

Mwu nodded tightly, his eyes trained on the match that was about to began. Cagalli walked before breaking into a run, she could feel her cool collected mask slipping off as she crashed through the swinging doors that would lead her back to the locker room. She didn't stop until she hit the bench. Gasping as she sat down on the bench, she finally relaxed, as she held her head in her hands, her body hunched. This really takes the cake of a horrible weekend.

Things cannot get any worse.

* * *

There! Emo chapter again...lols! For the record, she didn't really hear the gasps, she was too worried that her mind and ears were hearing things that weren't there. Also, there is a huge gaping plot hole for my future chapters which is obvious in this chapter. I'll give u a clue - ZAFT will face off against Emirates and Cagalli will be playing. Now think! Time to work those brain cells!:) Review and see if you're sharp enuf to find it:)

One thing - Twelfth KNight will be updated from now on a weekly basis. If I do not update by then please check my lj which can be found on my profile (click homepage) for the reasons and the estimated update date. Thanks:)

Please review! Reviews will no doubt increase my update speed, so the more the better!:) Plus, is the volleyball actions too draggy? or boring? I hope not! But let me know all the same and I'll see what I can do:)

Coolios!


	12. Chapter 12: Green

Heehe!! I updated before the projected wed deadline on my lj, are u happy?:) I'm sorry that I didn't keep my promise of a weekly update. I promised that I will do my best to keep it, but if I don't, plz forgive me cuz I'm quite busy with applications and stuff...

Thank you to all the amazing and fantastic reviewers!! I have finally crossed the 100 reviews mark!!! AH!! I'm so happy:)!!! Yup to **\Reader** - Whoa! you're really good! Actually I was thinking the same thing, but I'm holding out for maybe a better way. **CoconutGoneBad** - Your review made me smile for days!!!Thank you so much!:) **Usako - **Let me tell u that your last review really spur me on to start typing out this chapter, if not I probably won't get start till much later! So here's a huge THANKS!! Plus to all the other reviewers whom I did not mention here, your reviews really made me happy everytime I log on, I really appreciate you taking the time to review! So here a humugous THANK YOU to every single special one of you!!! You guys are just awesome!

Inspired(not so much) by the Shakespearean play - Twelfth Night or (more) Hana Kimi or (a lot more but now lesser)She's the man and Harry Potter(Half-blood prince) all jumble together:)

I don't own Gundam SEED franchise or Vampire Knight - maybe someday…when I'm filthy rich:)

ENJOY!!!:))

* * *

"ZAFT! ZAFT! ZAFT!" The crowd chanted as the six players below celebrated their win over Heliopolis with their teammates. It had been a close fight but ZAFT like always, managed to prevail once again. Shinn squeezed his way through the team hug. He just wanted to find the missing teammate. Sure he was glad that ZAFT had won, but he wasn't in much of a celebratory mood. He was looking around, hoping to spot her.

"Shinn!"

He turned around, his ruby eyes lighting up with hope, but it dimmed when he realised that it was not the person he was looking for.

"Yeah, Luna?"

Lunamaria Hawke beamed, as she gushed out. "Shinn! You were amazing out there!"

Shinn forced a smile.

"Have you seen Caleb?" he asked scanning his surroundings for the blonde. The spectators were slowly making their way out, while some came down to either congratulate the winning team or comfort the losing team.

"Caleb?" Luna asked confused.

"Yes, you know the blond hair boy with the-" Shinn described, with a slight agitation edge to his voice.

"I know who Caleb is," Luna interrupted, frowning a bit. "He went through the swinging doors after the first set. If you ask me, I think-"

"Oh ok. Thanks Luna!" Shinn called as he sprinted off in the direction of the swinging doors, abandoning Luna on the court. If he had bothered to look back he would have seen the shock and hurt look on her face.

* * *

_She's in the locker room, I've should've known!_ He thought as he skidded to a halt in front of the locker room. The corridor was quiet since the rest of team had not arrived yet. He pushed open the door, his eyes searching until he spotted Cagalli sitting cross-legged on the bench. He heaved a sigh of relief before frowning at the stoic and forlorn look on her face. She looked really tired; her skin pale under the fluorescent lighting, then again, everyone's skin looks sallow under that kind of lighting.

He took a tentative step forward before clearing his throat. No response. He cleared it louder to the point where he almost gagged. Still nothing. _She's not dead is she? _He snorted at the stupid thought. He walked over and poked her in the arm. Cagalli gave a sharp jolt, jerking her head towards him. She blinked as though she had just woken up.

"What?" she demanded hoarsely.

"What happened?" he asked as he sat beside her.

"Nothing," she replied dully.

"Cagalli, I've never seen anyone played so badly before. I mean even a rookie would know not to leave a spot defenceless. Plus, you looked like you seen a ghost out there! And, I have never seen coach so pissed! You must have done something really really big! Even I have never gotten such a holler from him –"

"Are you done?" Cagalli cut in harshly, her amber eyes blazing with fury.

Shinn merely raised an eyebrow, immune to her wrath.

"Are you done mocking me?!" She continued, her voice getting louder. "Or do you want to take out a front page article in our school's newspaper? Or a bloody television news bulletin? Why don't you just tell the whole world that I'm a freaking girl while you're at it?! Huh?!"

She was glaring furiously at Shinn who sat coolly on the bench while Cagalli was up and standing in front of him panting after her rant. She was furious that she had allowed Yunna to get under her skin and almost ruined the game. She bit her lower lip as she began to calm down, she adverted her glance upwards, blinking back tears. Her little outburst had broken whatever emotional restraint she possessed. Her vision blurring slightly as she held back a sob. Shinn squirmed in his seat looking away. He admit that he had gone a bit too far with his comments. He fidgeted again; he wasn't really good at comforting girls. He very much preferred to punch the living daylights out of the person responsible.

"God…I'm so stupid…" she croaked out, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand. "I can't believe I freaked out when I saw them there."

Shinn glanced up, curious. "Them?"

She nodded as she sniffed. "Yunna and some of the Emirates players. I totally blank out. I can't believe how much I let them affect me until to the point that I was hallucinating about hearing them recognising me that…I…I" Shinn nodded, telling her that he understood. She fell silent as a few tears trickled down her cheek; she hastily wiped them away, her face growing warm.

"This is so embarrassing. I can't believe you're seeing me in such a pathetic state," she laughed bitterly.

Shinn stood up and looked her in the eyes. "I don't think you're pathetic," he said simply.

Cagalli blinked as her face grew even warmer. There was an awkward silence as both of them stood there, red colouring their cheeks as both adverted their gazes.

"WOO HOO!!" a loud cheer was heard as both of them turned towards the door.

"Crap! I can't let them see me like this!" Cagalli panicked, she knew that her eyes were still red and she wasn't in any shape to take on the onslaught of questions about her uncharacteristic behaviour.

"Out the other door," Shinn said hurriedly as he pulled Cagalli through the side door that allowed them to leave the locker room without bumping into the rest of the team. When they emerged out of the door, they turned to their left; they could hear the voices of the volleyball team coming from round the bend in the corridor. They backtracked and turned to their right where there was a fire escape stairwell. Shinn opened the door as fresh air rushed past them, the open air stairwell had a view of the surrounding area, Cagalli collapsed on the steps as Shinn joined her.

"I guess ZAFT won?" she asked after a stretch of silence.

"What do you think?" Shinn replied sarcastically.

Cagalli looked over at Shinn, a wry smile playing on her face. _Duh…_

"I really hoped they didn't see me," she grimaced, voicing out her fears.

"I think not, your ex-boyfriend sounds like a total idiot. I doubt it would get through his pea-sized brain that it was his ex he saw playing," Shinn scoffed.

Cagalli cracked a smile as she joined in. "Hm…a buffoon like him wouldn't know it was me even if I had a flashing neon signboard above my head."

Shinn laughed. "Even if he did found out it was you, who would believe him? I mean 'I think I just saw my ex-girlfriend playing for ZAFT's male volleyball team!' Doesn't that sound like a one way ticket to a mental hospital?" Shinn reasoned.

Cagalli blinked at him in astonishment. _He's right_ she realized. _Yunna cares too much about his image to be sprouting such ridiculous conjectures…_

"Wow Shinn, guess you're right. You know you're a lot more like Kaname then I initially thought," she said without thinking.

Shinn looked at her in surprise. Cagalli clamped a hand to her mouth. _Did I just say that out loud?_ She thought. _Great now he's going to think that I'm weird for comparing him to a fictitious character. _

"Kaname?" Shinn asked incredulously "As in Kuran Kaname from Vampire Knight?"

Cagalli felt her jaw dropped. _Shinn knows who Kaname is?!_ Her mind screamed.

"You-You know Vampire Knight?" She asked in disbelief.

Shinn shrugged. "My little sister, Mayu, is crazy over Vampire Knight. She has the manga, anime, posters, figurines…She's like their number one fan."

Cagalli nodded slowly. _Oh…_

"Anyway why am I like him?" Shinn asked inquisitive.

Cagalli flushed, she suddenly felt that her rationale was a bit silly. "Umm…" She scrambled for a reply that didn't sound childish and stupid. "Well, I mean you both have red eyes, black hair…" She felt like banging her head against the wall. That sounded completely brainless.

"You mean I look like him?" Shinn raised an eyebrow.

"Well…sort of. But his hair is longer and he's a vampire…" she continued lamely. She could feel heat rushing to her face. _God, I sound like a freaking fan girl!_

"You do know that he had a sadistic tendency in him? I mean he practically made the Council of Elders popped their heads off like…I don't know…the headless horseman popping his pumpkin head off?" Shinn looked amused.

"Kaname-sama does not have a sadistic tendency in him!" She retorted hotly. "Anyway don't you have one too? Are we forgetting who was the one making my life miserable?" She rebutted, crossing her arms.

"Hmm…touché," Shinn agreed grinning.

Cagalli laughed. "I can't believe you read Vampire Knight!"

"Well, there wasn't much to do once I exhausted all my recreation resources and Mayu tends to leave her stuff lying around so I just picked one up and started reading," Shinn explained. He felt a bit embarrassed to be saying that he reads shoujo mangas. But he felt at ease telling it to Cagalli, maybe because he knew that she wouldn't tell anyone about it, unlike his friends. He knew that if news leaks out that Shinn Asuka reads Vampire Knight, he can be sure that his rep will suffer and his friends would be teasing him mercilessly about it.

"I see…" Cagalli said, trying to hide a smile. "The great and feared Shinn reading Vampire Knight…now _that's_ a sight I'll pay to see."

Shinn turned to her, his red eyes flashing. "Don't! Don't you tell dare tell anyone. Anyone! About this, or else-"

"Yeah…yeah…I know the rest," Cagalli interrupted rolling her eyes.

Shinn shook his head. Cagalli playfully nudged him with her shoulder; Shinn returned the nudge with more force, almost sending her colliding painfully with the wall. She glared accusingly at Shinn before shoving him.

"Ouch!" Shinn complained rubbing his sore shoulder that hit the wall; he gave Cagalli a piss look. Cagalli chuckled. She was starting to find Shinn's expressions amusing. Like his glare or the piss look.

"Thanks Shinn, I really feel loads better," she said smiling.

Shinn grinned back as both of them lapsed back into a comfortable silence.

The sun was beginning to set, the colours that Mother Nature painted was always a sight to behold. This time, Mother Nature has decided to use colours of the rainbow. From the blue to pink to green to purple, it blended so well that the sky looked like one giant rainbow. Cagalli sighed, maybe this is Mother Nature's way of saying that 'Things will get better'. She rested her head on Shinn's shoulder, feeling the effects of the last few days finally catching up to her, she was exhausted as she closed her eyes. _Just for a minute…_

Shinn stiffened when he felt a weight coming down on his shoulder. He wasn't used to having girls randomly using his shoulder as a pillow. But he'll admit that it felt nice as he relaxed. He stayed in that position until he felt the need to stretch.

"Cagalli?" he asked. There was no response.

He cocked his head down trying to see her face. Cagalli had already fallen asleep. He smiled; she really did look like a girl. He figured that he'll let her sleep some more, she deserved a bit of shut eye after what she's gone through. After all, he could always coerce her later into give him a massage for the stiffness in his neck and back.

* * *

"Has anyone seen Caleb and Shinn?" Mwu called out over the noise of the locker room. The team looked at each other, shaking their heads.

"Their stuff is still here though," Dearka pointed out as he upped his head at the two sports bags on the bench. Mwu frowned; he'll admit that he was a tat too hard on Caleb just now, everyone even talented players have an off day.

"Shall we go look for them?" Zane asked.

Mwu shook his head. "It's ok, their stuff is still here. They're probably still around here somewhere." The team nodded as Mwu debriefed them before they streamed out of the locker room heading back to ZAFT.

"I think we should look for them," Kira said, he was worried. If Shinn was with Cagalli…he still remembered the last time he had found the both of them, he didn't want a repeat of it.

"I suppose so," Athrun said hesitatingly. He didn't show it but he was worried about Caleb especially after he had run off after the first set. He sensed that something was not quite right.

Dearka and Yzak nodded as the four of them exited the room, only to bump into another group.

"Oh sorry! I didn-" Athrun stopped as his emerald eyes grew large when he realised who he bumped into.

"Tsk…tsk…I was right, ZAFT's captain is blind, he can't even see where he's going let alone pick competent players for his team," Yunna said smirking.

Athrun narrowed his eyes, how dare he criticise Caleb when he couldn't even spike the ball to save his wretched life.

"Shut the hell up bastard," Yzak growled from Athrun's right. He loathed the purple-headed boy especially after their last match. Yunna had been a sore loser, demanding that the umpire suspend Yzak for playing foul when it was so obvious that he did not.

"Still the same Joule, you better keep that temper of yours in check, we wouldn't want to have a repeat of our last encounter now will we?" a boy said silkily behind Yunna.

Yzak clenched his fists as he made a motion to lunge forward. Thankfully, Dearka managed to pull him back. Yzak growled menacing as he struggled to free himself. He wanted to tear that poor excuse for a man to shreds.

"Yzak, relax man. You don't want to play into their hands," Dearka hissed. He shared the same contempt for the five guys before them, but he knew better than to get into a fight with them.

"Yes Yzak, you should listen to your friend," Yunna said sardonically. "At least one of you has enough sense."

"Seiran that's enough!" Athrun said with authority in his voice, his green eyes blazing. "I will not allow you to insult my teammates. If you got anything to say then save it for the court. Because that's where we'll be doing ours."

Yunna's eyes turned cold as he took a step forward almost nose to nose with Athrun. Athrun refused to be the first to look away as he glared back at his rival.

"You think you're so tough, Athrun Zala. Well let me tell you that we'll be taking home the trophy this year. So if you're smart enough, you'll back out now."

Athrun clenched his fists, resisting the urge to hit him in the face.

"You mean the trophy for the least points ever garnered in a volleyball match? I think you have that that pretty much pat down," Athrun replied smirking.

The four blokes behind Yunna made a motion to move forward but Yunna stopped them with a raise of his hand.

"We'll see about that Zala, and tell your little blond friend that we send him our thanks. We haven't enjoyed such a comical spectacle in a long time."

Athrun's eyes flashed. _That's it!_ He snarled as he made a step forward when a shadow cut across him. Startled, he stumbled back slightly.

There was the sound of fist making contact with flesh before a loud thud of a body landing on the ground. A shock silence hung in the air.

"Don't you ever, ever talk about Caleb like that ever. Do I make myself clear?" Kira said evenly. His amethyst eyes burning with white-hot fury as his fists shook by his side. The other three ZAFT boys had never seen Kira so furious before.

Yunna looked up at Kira, blood trickling down from his mouth. He shrank back slightly, Kira's glare looked eerily familiar. _Déjà vu_

"W-whatever, let's go," Yunna muttered as he stood up clumsily and led his posse away.

"Kira, what had gotten into you?" Athrun asked once they were out of earshot. It wasn't as if he was against Kira punching Yunna. Heck, he would have done it if Kira had not gotten to him first.

"Didn't like the way he talked," Kira said forcefully, his face still contorted with anger.

"Hey ok…chill Kira. Take it easy," Dearks said weakly. He didn't think that Kira had it in him to hit another person. He will never look at Kira in the same light ever.

"C'mon, we got to find them," Kira said shortly as he stalked off.

"Geez, what's his deal?" Yzak asked, like the other two he was shocked but nevertheless gloated at the sight of Yunna sprawled on the ground.

The other two shrugged. "C'mon," Athrun said as he turned to the right and right again as the corridor turns to another hallway where the side door of their locker room opened to. He was a bit surprised to find a red-haired girl standing in front of a door. He could only see her side profile, but he found her rather familiar.

"Leah…Mary…Lu..Lunamaria!" he said to himself as he figured out the identity of the girl. What was she looking at? Curious, he took a step towards her when she suddenly backtracked into the wall behind her. Athrun stopped, it wasn't that he was having second thoughts but it was the expression on her face. Or rather _expressions_. Disbelief, shock, hurt, anger and…and…Athrun couldn't place the last emotion. Her eyebrows pulled to the middle, her lips set in a thin line as her fists clenched by her side. And then…the most peculiar thing. The left corner of her lips pulled up slightly….she was _smirking…_like something just struck her. Athrun was bewildered. What did she saw?

He quickly went through the side door back to the locker room. He didn't know why but instincts told him that it would be better if she did not see him. He was lucky that as Luna turned to his direction; she was too busy rummaging through her sling bag to notice him.

He waited for a while before emerging and made his way to the door Luna was standing in front moments earlier. It was the fire escape door. The door had a vertical rectangular piece of looking glass above the door handle for people to peer through. Athrun peeped through the glass, his eyes widening as something inside him snarled at the sight. He saw two people – a blond and a black haired. Normally it wouldn't have such an effect on him, but it was the words emblazoned on the back of their jerseys - ASUKA and YULA, that seemed to be mocking him. Caleb's head was on Shinn's shoulder, if he didn't know any better, they looked like any couple enjoying a little quiet time together.

"What the-" he said in incredulity. The mix of emotions in him was affecting his rationale mind. He felt irritated and strangely hollow at the sight. Like someone had stabbed him in the heart, and there was the overpowering urge to burst through the door and ripped them apart before beating Shinn senseless and throwing him out the team.

"What am I thinking?" He blinked at the ferocity of his thoughts. He stood there in a daze before deciding that he had to leave, he didn't want to do something that he will regret in the future. He turned and walked away numbly, leaving the two of them watching the sunset.

* * *

YES! YES! YES! Somebody is jealooousss!! Heeh! And what do we have here? A closet Vampire Knight fan?!!LOLX!

Review, pretty please!!:) I''ll love to hear what you think of this chapter!!

Coolios! (Love u so much for reading my fic!!!)


	13. Chapter 13: BBIA!

Hahah...I kept my promise of having weekly updates!! Yay!! I'm super happy! Why? Becoz of 2 super amazing things! 1 - I was offered a scholarship! Isn't that any student's dream? To get paid to study ahaha!!!:)) The second thing is that…

**I got 20 reviews for the last chapter!!!** Oh my gosh! Never in my wildest dreams do I expect to have sooo many reviews!!-squeal!- So Here's a BIG BIG THANKEW to all my fabulous, gorgeous and wonderful reviewers who make this possible!! Thank you so much!! You have no idea how exhilarated you guys make me!!!

Gundam seed franchise is not mine

Inspired(not so much) by the Shakespearean play - Twelfth Night or (more) Hana Kimi or (is there still any trace of it??!!!)She's the man and Cinderella 3 - A twist in time all jumble together:)

ENJOY!!!!:))) And kudos to xMidnightInsanity.x who came up with the Kira-Shinn-'bloodyhell!' scene. Thanks girl!:) (cannot put in the dots -growls-)

Chapter title: B.B.I.A - Big Brother in action! (heeh!)

* * *

Cagalli yawned as she sat up straight, blinking her eyes. "How long have I've been asleep?" she mumbled.

"Long enough if you ask me," a voice replied derisively.

Cagalli turned to her left, she almost forgotten that Shinn was there.

"Oh…we better go back then," she said, standing up and stretching. Shinn followed suit.

"Do you know how heavy your head was?" he complained.

Cagalli rolled her eyes. "That's because I have a brain, which is something you sorely lacked."

Shinn rolled his eyes at her comments. "Haha…you're hilarious. If you're so smart then how are you going to play against Emirates? In case you didn't know, you're in not much of a disguise."

Cagalli stopped, she never thought about that.

"I don't know," she said at last.

Shinn shook his head, while Cagalli was having a nap, he had a lot of time to think and he realised this rather glaring problem.

"Well, you better think of something fast, the final match is less than three weeks away and no matter how blind or idiotic your ex is, he's bound to recognise you within the court," Shinn told Cagalli as he pulled opened the fire escape door to let Cagalli walked through first.

When Cagalli stepped into the corridor, she was immediately greeted by a loud cry of "Cagalli!"

She whirled around in shock and saw Kira running towards her, his face a picture of relief, but it immediately turned to alarm when he saw Shinn behind her.

'What are you doing with her?" he thundered.

Shinn looked startled as Kira, who looked like a raging bull at the moment, charged at them. Kira pulled Cagalli behind him and stood protectively in front of her.

"Kira, you do know that you just said 'she'," Shinn pointed out in an almost lazy manner.

Kira blinked, in his haste and anger he had let slip Cagalli's identity. He fumbled for a reply.

"I-I did not! I said 'him'!" he retorted angrily "Anyway that's not the point, what did you do to_ him_?"

"Kira…" Cagalli started "Shinn didn't do anything to me."

Kira glanced back, debating whether to believe her.

"I didn't do anything to her," Shinn assured Kira "I'll never beat up a girl." He added with a wry smile.

Kira turned to him, shocked at what he just heard.

"Y-You know?" he said in disbelief.

"Yeah, it turns out that Cagalli's dad and mine go way back," he explained.

"Oh…I see," Kira said as he let the fact that Shinn knew Cagalli's gender sink in.

"Did you tell anyone?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Of course not, do I look like some blabbermouth?" Shinn snorted.

The corners of Kira's mouth twitched.

"Where were you? We were looking everywhere for you?" Kira said to Cagalli.

Cagalli sighed. "I wasn't feeling too good. Shinn found me and cheered me up." Kira's eyebrows rose to a new dangerous height, almost in danger of disappearing into his hairline.

Shinn was comforting Cagalli? It never struck him that Shinn was capable of making anyone happy, as far as he knows if Shinn was involved; it always ends up with someone sporting a black eye. The last being of course Cagalli when Kira intervened to break up the fight.

_Wait a minute_ Kira thought as his face turned positively murderous _Shinn beat up my sister!!_

"Bloody hell! You hit my sister back then!" he roared as he took a lunge forward and grabbed the front of Shinn's jersey. Shinn looked if anything, frightened as the blood was drained out of his face. There were not many things that could have such an effect on him. The first being the realisation that he had beaten up and got beaten up by a girl, courtesy of Cagalli here. The other one being right now, Kira looked like he was capable of beating the crap out of him.

"I-I didn't know she was a girl back then! I swear! And I'm sorry that I-…wait. Did you just say sister?" Shinn asked, not sure if he's hearing the right thing.

Kira was still glaring furiously at him, his face turning red. "She's my sister so?"

"Since when do you have a sister?" Shinn asked incredulously.

"That's beside the point. The point is that you beat her up!" Kira spat out, his eyes blazing.

"Geez Kira! What has gotten into you? Chill! I don't blame Shinn cause it's not entirely his fault. Ok Kira?" Cagalli said in an attempt to pacify her brother.

Her words did have an effect on Kira as he took a deep calming breath and released Shinn. He guessed that Yunna's words were still echoing in his mind, making him susceptible to flaring up.

"Fine, if Cagalli forgives you then I'll let it go. But next time, I won't be so kind," Kira said with a hint of threat in his words.

Shinn nodded eagerly. "You still haven't answered my question yet. _Cagalli is your sister?!"_ He burst out for the third time.

The twins exchanged exasperated sighs. "It's complicated Shinn," Cagalli replied "You should go back first," she hinted.

Shinn blinked at her and then nodded, getting the hint.

"Don't worry, I won't tell. See you in training," Shinn said as he walked away. He was only gone a few steps when he stopped and turned back to face the twins.

"Cagalli, I think I just found a solution to your problem," Shinn said smirking. Cagalli looked at him questioning.

"Well?" she prompted when Shinn did not continue.

"You will just have to wait and see. Knowing that you and Kira are twins came in handy," Shinn said as he walked away.

Cagalli glared at his retreating figure, she hated being in the dark.

"What is he talking about?" Kira asked. Cagalli shook her head. "Nothing, he's just being a weirdo."

Kira looked like he wanted to ask more, but held his tongue when Cagalli gave him the 'If-you-treasure-your-life-don't-ask' look.

"Are you sure, he didn't do anything?" Kira asked again.

Cagalli gave him an annoyed look. "No, dear sweet overprotective brother of mine."

Kira rolled his eyes at her title for him.

"So…have you…um…thought it through yet?" Cagalli asked awkwardly, not knowing if she wanted to hear the reply.

Kira hesitated. He did give the matter a lot of thought; he even confronted his foster father about it who was shocked that Kira knew. Of course, Kira had been mindful about leaving out his other companion. He was sure that Cagall's father – no. _HIS_ father will be storming into ZAFT and demanding that Cagalli returned to Emirates. It felt weird to Kira to be calling another man – Dad, father and other terms of endearment. Mr Yamato had told Kira the circumstances under which his biological parents had to give him up. He had understood but it did not mean that he accepted it. Plus, a part of him felt a bit upset that he was the one who was given up, the childish side of him felt that his parents had chosen his sister over him. But Kira was not one to get jealous or myopic about the situation. He was much more mature for that.

"Yea, Cagalli. I'm- I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to get hurt by my words. It's not that I don't care about our mother. It's just that it's hard for me to take it all at once," Kira said quietly as he looked at his sister's face.

Cagalli smiled as she leaned against the wall. "It's fine Kira." Kira wondered if that was how his biological mother looked like when she smiled. The flawless curve of the lips, eyes radiating warmth and the need to return the smile. Which was what he did, he smiled back.

"So…" Cagalli continued, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. She didn't know what to say.

"Brother and sister…who would have thought that all this time my brother was staying next door to me?!" Cagalli laughed.

Kira chuckled. "Yeah, and to think I thought you were a peeping tom when I saw you peeking into Athrun's room," Kira laughed heartily. Cagalli chortled, remembering their first encounter. Then Kira stopped abruptly.

"Wait, you're living with Athrun. Does he know that you're a girl?"

Cagalli shook her head. Kira's amethyst eyes grew large as the knowledge of his sister sleeping in the same room as his friend for the past three months hit him harder that a twenty-tonne truck hitting a wall at top-speed.

"How can you be sleeping in the same room with a boy?! You're a girl! Do you know how dangerous it is to sleep less than ten feet away from a hormone-driven male?! I mean he could…he could," Somehow Kira couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence. Cagalli blushed as she realised her brother's _very _insightful train of thoughts. If she knew she was going to get such a paranoid brother…

"It's not my fault! The school ran out of single rooms! What was I supposed to do? Sleep outside in the cold?!"

"Yes! I mean Athrun maybe my best friend but there's some things that I don't approve of, like his choice of girlfriends," Cagalli scoffed at this, remembering Meer the Macabre, ok so she's not really gruesome but hey can you blame Cagalli? "…and I don't trust him to be alone with my sister! Who knows what he'll do when he found out! No! You're staying in my room from now on!" Kira said hotly. Cagalli sighed for the umpteen times that day.

"Kira, will you stop being so big-brother-_ish_. It was amusing at the start, but now it's just plain irritating. And Athrun's not that kind of guy that would take advantage of an unsuspecting girl. You really ought to give him more credit than that," Cagalli said in an almost disapproving manner.

Kira's eyebrows rose and he gave a sly smile. "I guess you're right Cagalli, I was wrong about Athrun. After all, the boy who caught my sister's eye would be a respectable lad."

"Exactly! Wait!…I mean no!…I mean yes!…I mean…Arrgh!! Kira!" Cagalli cried as she found herself caught in Kira's clever trap. Kira laughed hard at her blushing face. It was the first time that she had admitted out loud that she liked Athrun. She salvaged whatever left of her dignity by punching Kira's arm –hard.

"Ow!…" Kira mock-glared at Cagalli while rubbing his sore arm "I can't believe I got a cavegirl for a sister." Cagalli send him a death glare as she stalked off the locker room.

"Cagalli, I was just kidding!" Kira called as he caught up with her in the locker room. Cagalli huffed as she stormed out of the room towards the building exit.

"Cagalli!" Kira shouted as he ran to catch up with her. When he caught up, he grabbed her arm causing her to stop in her tracks.

"C'mon Cagalli, I was just fooling around. Surely you're not going to stay mad at your own brother?" he said.

Cagalli looked at him, debating whether she should forgive him or to let him sweat some more. The latter was very tempting after how he had unscrupulously tricked her into revealing about her crush on Athrun, but then looking into Kira's face was probably a mistake. His eyes pleading, his mouth turned down as he looked at Cagalli. _This is so not fair_ she thought _that was how I got conned into going to all those stupid uptight functions because Dad always uses his special puppy-dog face which I hate to say, works every single bloody time. I can't believe Kira using that against me! Oh…but he look so cute…Oh my god! I'm caving in…NOOOO!!!_

"Fine," she relented finally. Once again the puppy-dog face had unleashed its prowess and defeated Cagalli.

Kira beamed as he walked alongside her.

"Cagalli, I was wondering. Why did you encourage Athrun to go after Lacus? I mean isn't that going against the whole concept of…you know, getting the guy?"

Cagalli looked at him in surprise, how did he know? _Oh right, Athrun must have told him_, she concluded dryly.

Cagalli pondered over his question, she had been asking herself the same thing after that night. And she thinks she knows why.

"I guess it's because I need to know that the guy I like is not a quitter, just because things doesn't go his way, he'll concede defeat," she said at last, blushing a bit "I want to know that if something should come between us or happened to us, that he won't give up. He will still continue to fight for us to be together." She finished her face growing warmer by the second. She had never told anyone this, because it sounded too idealistic, like something out of a fairytale. Like a knight fighting for his lady's hand.

Kira was surprised at her answer, he never thought about it that way. It was risky to think that way, because you may end up losing the person you love if you encourage him too much. Kira smiled at his sister. She really is a piece of work, just when when you think you figured her out, she'll spring a surprise on you, smashing away all your assumptions about her to start over again; he got the feeling that his life would be much more interesting with Cagalli around. He was glad that Cagalli is his sister; she really gave him a lot of things to be proud of.

"Then you don't have to worry about that. If there's one thing I know about Athrun is that he never gives up, even when things go bad. He never quit, especially if it's something he cherish and love," Kira said truthfully. Cagalli let out a sad laugh.

"We'll see, he doesn't even know that I'm a girl. I doubt that he will feel the same way about me," she said a bit downcast.

"Cagalli, you never know. Sometimes people will surprise you," he said with a knowing smile.

Cagalli's eyebrows rose, it was as if something inside her perked its ears and lifted its head at Kira's words.

_Maybe…just maybe…_

* * *

Cagalli stretched her arms after her shower which Kira had insisted on guarding it for her after hearing in horror how his sister had been taking a shower for the past three months. Cagalli was annoyed, but some part of her rather enjoyed being fuss over and having someone who would make sure that no harm will come your way. When she reached her room door, she hesitated in opening it. She knew that Athrun was in there and didn't know if he's still holding a grudge against her. She sucked in air as she opened the door, feeling nervous as she walked to her side of the room. Sneaking a glance at Athrun, who was doing his homework on the shared table. He had only glanced up at her when she entered before resuming his work. To say that the atmosphere in the room was awkward was to put it lightly. Cagalli stood facing her bed, wondering if she should just do her homework outside.

_This is ridiculous _she thought _we are just two roommates doing our own work_. With that, she took her stuff and sat down at the table beside Athrun and opened her math book. Athrun seemed oblivious to her presence as he concentrated on his work. For a while, they sat side-by-side, the sound of pen scratching paper, the occasional flip of the book and an odd squirm or two.

"Um…" Athrun started as he tapped his pen on his paper, he was stumped on a math question. Cagalli turned to him, her hand stopped moving.

"Do you know how to do question twelve?" he asked tentatively.

Cagalli looked back down at her book. _Question twelve? _She thought as she read through the question_ Oh_ she realised, she had Kira explained to her the concept required for this question the day Athrun and Lacus had their 'date'.

"Yeah, it's a bit tricky but here's how you do..." she said as she explained the question to Athrun. Athrun nodded as he gave occasional glances to Cagalli, fidgeting ever so slightly, the scene in the fire escape stairwell still playing on an endless loop in his mind. _Is Caleb gay? _He cringed at that thought. _Athrun, just because you saw Caleb leaning his head on Shinn's shoulder does not mean that he's gay. There are a thousand and one other possible and logical explanations. Heck, it may not even mean anything. _

"Yeah…" he mumbled.

"Sorry?"

Athrun turned his head to her, his face heating up slightly. He hadn't realised that he had voiced his thoughts out loud.

"Um…I mean yeah, I get it," he said hastily.

Cagalli nodded as she finished her explanation. "…and that is how you do it," she ended, feeling proud of herself for explaining the question so well.

"Thanks Caleb," Athrun said smiling slightly.

Cagalli felt her heart did a triple- flipped; he was _smiling _at her, does that mean that he's no longer angry with her?

"No problem Athrun!" she replied earnestly, beaming brightly.

"And…er, I'm sorry about you know…that night. I over-reacted a bit," Athrun apologised looking at Cagalli.

Cagalli smiled, she was feeling rather magnanimous today. "I understand no worries. I already told Lacus and she's handling it quite ok. So friends?" Cagalli said as she extended out her right hand.

Athrun looked at her hand before nodding and shaking her hand.

"Friends," he confirmed with a bigger smile as he made eye contact with Cagalli. He never realised how expressive they were, her amber eyes were sincere and honest and like the sun, they held a soft kind of warmness that seemed almost enthralling to an extent.

Cagalli's face flushed when Athrun looked at her, holding her gaze longer than necessary. She wanted to look away, but Athrun's eyes were like deep green pools, she couldn't resist but to take a plunge, wanting to get lost and explore the mysterious green ocean.

"Athrun?" Cagalli managed to say after surfacing from her plunge. Athrun blinked.

Cagalli looked down at their still joined hands. As much as she would love to keep holding his hand, they have homework to do.

"Oh...sorry," Athrun said, slightly embarrassed as he released her hand.

Cagalli could still feel the ghost of his hand lingering on hers. She committed it to memory, wanting to never forget how holding his hand felt like. It was as –as only a cliché would say it best – the greatest feeling in the entire world. She could feel her heart smiling goofily and it was dying to show the world that it's smiling by letting the smile be on her face. She was having trouble keeping the smile locked in her heart.

"Um…I think we should get back to work, we have math for first period and I don't think it would be a good idea to get send out of class," Athrun said snapping Cagalli out of her wonderful daydream.

"Right," she said as they returned to their homework at hand.

They worked side-by-side, pen scratching paper, the occasional sound of book being flip, an odd squirm or two and neither could deny that something had happened with that handshake.

* * *

Outtakes  
Kira: I can't believe I got a cavegirl for a sister!…hey! Cavegirl Cagalli! Cagalli the Cavegirl…it rhymes!!  
Cagalli: -stares murderously-  
Kira: -starts singing 'Cagalli the cavegirl'-  
Cagalli: Kira if you don't stop that, I'm going to tell every single person in ZAFT that you cried on your first three nights in ZAFT.  
Kira: -shuts up immediately and sulks at a corner-  
**I'm sorry, couldn't resist writing this! Hahaha!!:))**

Heeh, hm what is Shinn's great idea? And oh don't you just love Kira in 'Big-brother' mode? Heeh, last chapter alot of you have your own spectulations about Luna, well all I can say is that I still retain the element of surprise:) -winkwink-

As promised to my friend **Thalia Airla, **do check out her twilight fanfic** Dear stranger**, it's really good. Her writing style is quite similar to mine but better:) So yes do check out her story and leave a review for her as well! Thankyou!! Fanfic writers need you -the reader- support to write even better stories! So remember to leave a review for her!!!

As for me, heeh I would like reviews too so…REVIEW!!! and make me a very happy girl!:)

Coolios! (loads of love from me to you for reading my fic!!)


	14. Chapter 14: Stuck with you

So sorry about the long delay! Writer's block sucks! :(

To all my reviewers thank you so much! I really enjoy reading your reviews and I'm glad that you like the outtakes! -BIG smile- Please continue to review!:D

**This chapter is dedicated to all my awesome reviewers!! Lots of Auscaga fluff!!! -cheers-**

Gundam SEED does not belong to me

Inspired(not so much) by the Shakespearean play - Twelfth Night or (more) Hana Kimi or (is there still any trace of it??!!!)She's the man and maybe teensy weenie bit of Gray's anatomy(if u can spot that is) all jumble together:)

ENJOY!!!:))) Re-Re-edited as of 12th Apr

* * *

Cagalli looked at the message in her phone, wondering what was Shinn thinking when he asked her to meet him an hour' before training that day. When she reached the volleyball court, she was surprised to see Kira with Shinn and Kira looked anything but pleased. She crossed over to the two boys who looked up at her when they heard the footsteps.

She raised her eyebrows in question. Shinn was wearing a mischievous smirk, kind of like pranksters wore before pulling a trick. Kira on the other hand, looked worried.

Shinn pulled out two boxes from behind him. On one of the box was a picture of a boy with his hand running through his hair while the other was a much smaller box with a pair of eyes on its cover.

"Hair dye and coloured contacts?" she said in an incredulous voice. That was Shinn's great plan?

You have got to be kidding."

Shinn rolled his eyes. "C'mon it's a good idea! I mean you and Kira are twins, there's bound to be some resemblance! It might even confuse those idiots!" Shinn said in a swell voice.

Kira's head was in his hands, he couldn't believe what he was hearing. While Cagalli was giving the 'are-you-crazy-'look to Shinn. She held a hand to his forehead.

"What are you doing?"

"Checking to see if you're having a fever," Cagalli said in a serious voice as she put her other hand on her forehead. "Because you're talking gibberish."

Shinn slapped her hand away, obviously annoyed. "I'm fine! Why am I the only one who thinks my plan is awesome?!" He said in a slightly offended tone.

Cagalli sighed as she looked at Kira who was rolling his eyes at Shinn.

"Shinn, the rest of the team are going to be wondering about my sudden change in Kira. And we don't want to tell the rest about us yet because it might expose me as a girl and the past three months or so will be all for nothing," she said patiently.

Shinn frowned. It had sounded like a good plan in his mind. Now it sounded like a flop.

Suddenly Kira's head shot up, a smile spreading across his face.

"No wait! This could work!" he said in an excited voice. The other two looked at him in shock, hadn't already pointed out why it couldn't work?

"How?" Cagalli asked sceptically, folding her arms over her chest.

"Like Shinn say, we don't have to make you into another person; we just have to create some ambiguity, to confuse them. Besides they would be too absorbed in the game to scrutinize you. And ZAFT side…" Kira said with a playful smile as he looked at Shinn.

"Pre-final bash," Kira said in a knowing voice. Shinn blinked at him, perplexed as to how the party held at Dearka's house would assist them.

"Huh?" Shinn asked.

"Dearka bound to play his favourite game…" Kira hinted. Shinn thought for a while before his mischievous smile returned. _Ahh…I see_

Cagalli looked at them confused at their identical impish smiles.

"Um…anyone care to enlighten me?"

"You would just have to wait and see Cagalli. Not telling," Kira said playfully.

Cagalli pouted, she hated being in the dark! But it was obvious that neither Shinn nor Kira was going to tell her. She grudgingly accepted that she would just have to wait.

* * *

Fifteen minutes before training started, the boys were all chatting happily while the stands were filled with the usual screaming fangirls.

"…oh man can't wait for this weekend!"

"…pre-final bash at Elsman's!"

"…heard they are allowing girls this time round!"

Cagalli frowned as she caught snippets of their conversations. It sounded like they were all hyped up about something.

"Hey Caleb!" Cagalli turned to see Dearka coming towards her.

"Weekend bash at my place? Some sort of volleyball tradition before the final match, usually to prep and calm nerves. You coming dude?" Dearka said as he slung his arm over her shoulders.

Cagalli looked at him for a moment, remembering what Kira had said. _Oh…_

"Um…sure," she said smiling slightly.

"Awesome! You'll love it, trust me!" Dearka said happily as the whistle sounded signalling that training was about the start.

Somehow Cagalli wasn't sure that she'll enjoy the party especially after what Kira and Shinn was hiding from her.

* * *

"Caleb! Can you keep the volleyballs?" Coach Mwu said to Cagalli. Training had ended a while back and she was the last to leave the court since she wanted to put in extra time. She nodded as she put the balls into a basket and pushed to the room since the basket was mounted on a moveable frame with wheels on the bottom for easy manoeuvrability. She opened the door beside the locker room that had all the equipments. As the room was on a slightly higher ground, she had to lift the basket up to get into the room, she was having a slight difficulty since it keep sliding down and the door, which had a like a spring system on the top to close the door automatically without having anyone to shut it, keep trying to close on her before she could even get in. She was getting quite frustrated when a voice said, "Need help?"

She glanced up to see Athrun standing beside her with a bemused expression on his face. If it was any other time, she would be snapping at him for that look saying that she could handle it herself, but because she was tired she just nodded, grateful for the help.

Athrun held the door opened as he helped lift the offending object up and into the room. He left his place as he walked inside the room as Cagalli pushed the basket towards the far wall, thus the door swung shut behind him.

"There," Cagalli announced as she and Athrun turned and walked towards the door. She twisted the knob and immediately felt something amiss. The knob did not turn fully but jammed halfway like someone had locked the door.

"Eh?" she said in surprise as she furiously tried to twist and pushed against the door.

"It's stuck?" Athrun said in a disbelieving tone.

"You try," Cagalli moved aside. Athrun jiggled the knob and tried to no avail to open the door that was remaining stubbornly shut.

"You got to be joking," he said in disbelief "Hey! Anyone out there?!"

Cagalli who was standing slightly behind Athrun was staring at him, her mouth slightly agape.

She just realised something.

That if the door doesn't open, she was stuck.

She was stuck with Athrun Zala.

She was stuck with Athrun Zala in the same room.

Stuck with him.

Alone.

Just the two of them.

_Oh boy…_

She blushed as her imagination went wild at the possibilities both of them could be doing in the equipment room alone.

"Caleb?"

Cagalli looked at him, her face slightly red. "Oh right…um…help!" She shouted through the door while pounding her fists against the door. The door rattled noisily, maybe if they banged hard enough the door will come off its hinges.

"Hello?" a muffled voice called out. Yes! They were saved!

"Can you open the door?" Athrun shouted to the person outside.

"Athrun? Haha…you're locked in? Trust the captain to get locked in," the voice said sarcastically.

Athrun couldn't help but groaned. Yzak no doubt.

"Shut up Yzak! Just open the goddamn door already!" Athrun demanded pissed.

"Whatever Zala," as the knob jiggled and the door shook.

"I can't, its stuck. Dearka, Kira! Captain Zala is locked in, haha," It was obvious that Yzak was rather enjoying this.

Athrun rolled his eyes, as two other sets of footsteps were heard coming closer to the door.

The door rattled again, as the knob twisted and turned so vigorously that Cagalli was surprised to see the knob still attached to the door.

"Athrun! It's jammed! We can't open it!" Cagalli guessed it was Kira.

"Looks like you're stuck man," an amused voice said. Dearka, no question.

"Are you serious?" Cagalli groaned.

There was a silence.

"Ca-Caleb? Is that you?" Kira asked unsurely.

"Yeah, Athrun was helping me and the door closed behind him," Cagalli explained.

"Just the two of you?"

"Yeah," Cagalli replied, her eyebrows pulled together, was it just her or did Kira's voice sounded a little strained.

Suddenly, there was a loud banging and shaking and thumping that startled both Athrun and Cagalli. The poor door was the victim of a horrid abuse as it looked as though it was ready to pop out its frame any second now. It would be good, but then it was one of those irritating doors that just refused to fall apart or open.

"Kira! You're going to break down the door!" Dearka shouted.

"Isn't…that…the whole point?!" Kira huffed as he tried in vain to open the door or rather trying to smash his way through the door.

There was a scuffle outside the door, as the door stood stoic. Muffled voices arguing, Cagalli exchanged confused looks with Athrun.

"Guys, looks like you're stuck for the night, the janitor went home already, don't worry, we'll get you out by tomorrow," Dearka said.

"Athrun! You better don't try anything funny!" Kira said angrily.

"Funny? What are you talking about?" Athrun asked, bewildered.

Cagalli on the other hand was turning red from both anger and embarrassment. _I swear, when I get out of here. Kira is going to be soooo dead! _

"Kira…" Cagalli said seething with anger. "Don't talk nonsense."

"All I'm saying is that…"

"Kira!" Cagalli practically screamed through the door, her face burning. "Just go!"

"Ya Kira, c'mon. They'll be fine," Dearka was saying.

It took a bit more persuasion to finally get Kira moving. He had wanted to camp outside the door.

"See you in the morning Zala, don't let the ghosts scare you," Yzak said, his smirk was evident in his voice.

"Yea, sweet dreams to you too Yzak," Athrun said sarcastically.

They heard the footsteps fading away. Cagalli turned and looked around at her surroundings for the first time. The room was about twice the size of her dorm room with white-washed walls dirtied with ball prints and foot prints. The only light came from the row of small windows across the room; it was situated way up the wall, touching the edge when the wall met the ceiling. Below the windows were a small low bench enough to sit about five or six persons comfortably. On the bench, sports vests and forgotten jerseys were plied. She glanced around for the lights, there was none.

"There's no lights," she frowned.

Athrun looked at her and glanced around.

"Well, I think they weren't thinking that anyone would be using the room for sleeping. So there's no need for lights since there's no night practices. I guessed they thought that the windows provided enough lighting. Save the earth!" he added jokingly.

She let out an uneasy laugh. There wasn't going to be any lights, and the light was fading fast. Which means that she would be spending the night, alone with Athrun, in the dark.

_Oh god…_

"Are you nyctophobic?" Athrun noticed her ashen face.

"Um...no of course not! I'm not scared of the dark," she said hastily. "You know the windows, maybe we could try to get out through them," she continued trying to steady her nerves.

Athrun thought for a moment before walking towards the windows with Cagalli. They stared at the windows above them. Their ticket to freedom.

"It's small," she observed, she cleared the bench as she climbed onto it, her fingers scrapping the window sill despite her being on tiptoes.

"I can't reach it," she said. "Give me a boost."

Athrun for some reason felt a bit apprehensive, strangely the image of Caleb and Shinn flashed through his mind briefly. He shook his head as he climbed onto the bench and got down on one knee and cup his hands so that Cagalli could use his hands as a foothold to get higher. Cagalli put her foot into his hands and pushed herself up, her hands were able to hold onto the sill better, Athrun was behind her, spotting her in case she fall, his hands holding her legs, something that Cagalli was very aware about. She cleared her throat as she tried to hoist herself up, her feet scrambling for any sort of leverage to pull herself up, and she found it.

"Ow!" Athrun cried as Cagalli kicked and pushed off from him in the chest.

She laughed as she apologised.

"Hurry up, you're not exactly very light you know," Athrun complained.

Cagalli glared down at him, "One more word about my weight and I'm going to leave you behind and let the ghosts have you for supper."

Athrun rolled his eyes as he grunted and tried to find another more comfortable position, he put one foot back, which was a bad idea since the bench was not very wide and his foot found air instead of bench causing him to let go of Cagalli and falling backwards. Cagalli shrieked as she suddenly found herself in mid-air supporting by her arms that was placed on the sill. She kicked against the wall hoping to gain some sort of footing to boost herself up but her feet keep sliding down the wall. She was getting a bit scared since she knew it was quite a drop.

"Athrun!" she screamed.

Athrun stood up a bit dazed, he blinked as he registered his friend dangling in mid-air, his legs flailing about. He couldn't help but laughed at the sight.

"Shut up Athrun!" Cagalli yelled furiously. She was losing her grip.

"Hold on…" he said as moved forward to help but it was too late.

Cagalli had already let go of the sill and was dropping onto the bench, normally she would have stop there, but then the small width of the bench and the fact that that was nothing for her to hold on to steady herself caused her to fall backwards.

She shrieked again as she closed her eyes waiting for the painful impact, which never came.

Instead, she found herself crashing into Athrun's waiting arms. The force of her fall caused both of them to lose their balance as Athrun's back met the ground for the second time in less than a minute.

"Oh man…" he groaned.

Cagalli cracked opened her eyes when she realised she didn't hit the ground but something both hard and soft at the same time.

Her eyes widened as something below moved, she turned scarlet as she realised that she was holding on the arms wrapped around her waist.

"Can you get off?" Athrun asked his front and back were both hurting.

"Oh, sorry," Cagalli muttered as she untangled herself from him, her face still warm.

Athrun sat up, massaging his chest and stretching his back, wincing when he felt the dull muscle pain. Oh joy, he was going to have a horrid backache tomorrow.

Cagalli sat on the bench, trying to ease her heartbeat into a slower rhythm.

"I think getting through the window was a bad idea," she said.

"Says you, you're not the one who fell on his back twice in a row," Athrun retorted.

Cagalli smiled sheepishly. "Sorry,"

Athrun sighed as he sat beside Cagalli.

"Well, what are going to do now?" he asked.

Cagalli shrugged, as her fists clenched, she could feel Athrun's shoulder brushing against her. It was very distracting as both of them sat there until Athrun decided to break the silence.

"Caleb, do you like anyone?"

Cagalli glanced at him, slightly taken aback by the sudden question.

"Hmm…" she contemplated. "I like everyone."

"You know what I mean,"

"At the moment…No," she lied. She couldn't tell him that she liked him. "You?"

"I…I" a pause "How do you know when you like someone?"

Cagalli looked at him thinking about her answer before saying,

"I don't know, I supposed you just know, I mean how do you know you like Lacus then?"

"To tell you the truth, I'm not sure if I ever like her. I mean I thought I did, but then…I don't know. It's hard to explain. But when she told me that she liked you, I didn't felt like my heart was torn into two or that the world came crashing down. It was like an '_oh, ok_'. I did felt a bit bummed out but then it was not as though I would die kind. Is it strange?"

Cagalli let out a small laugh, for someone who had a whole harem of girls, he's pretty clueless.

"Do you think you're strange? If you don't think so, then why care what others think?" she smiled.

Athrun looked at her, returning her smile. He liked talking to Caleb, he understood him on a level that his other friends would never reached. Caleb was also very perspective and easy to talk to; he didn't make you feel like you're stupid for asking a simple question. Not to mention, he gives great advice.

Athrun leaned back, closing his eyes. He let out a yawn.

"Tired already?" she asked.

Athrun nodded sleepily, "School, training…"

"Go to sleep then,"

"Ok, get off."

Cagalli stared at him as he nudged her to stand up. "Get off?" she echoed.

"Yeah the bench is only big enough for one to sleep comfortably," Athrun said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Then where am I supposed to sleep?" Cagalli said crossly. Athrun shrugged he was making himself comfortable on the bench.

_Seriously. _She thought irritated.

Then, she remembered something, she smiled devilishly.

"Athrun? Do you keep promises?"

Athrun looked at her confused.

"Yes," he said slowly.

"All of them?"

Athrun nodded slowly, wondering what Caleb was driving at.

"Do you remembered what you said when I agreed to help you get Lacus?"

Athrun's eyes widened. _Oh…no…_

"For the first IOU, I want the bench, so you, get off," she said smirking.

Athrun glared at her as he reluctantly stood up to let Cagalli take possession of his bench.

"Where am I supposed to sleep?"

Cagalli smiled widely, she was _so _enjoying this…

She pointed to the ground.

Athrun looked at her incredulously. "You got to be kidding! It's…its filthy!"

Cagalli looked very amused. "Aw…are you afraid of the little dust bunnies?" she said in a baby-sweet voice.

Athrun snorted, refusing to let Caleb to have the pleasure of seeing him in discomfort.

"Of course not! Sleep on the ground, no big deal!" he said stubbornly.

Cagalli stifled her laugh as she watched Athrun looking at the dusty ground with obvious distaste as he took the sports vests as a makeshift bed and the jerseys as 'pillows'. He made a small noise of discontent as he lay down and promptly turned his back towards Cagalli, refusing to see her.

She chuckled. _God, he's so cute! _She thought as she looked at his defiant form with a certain fondness in her eyes.

The night was quiet as the moonlight shone through the windows illuminating their surrounding and casting soft and comforting shadows around them. It was as though the shadows were hiding amused whispers and giggles at the both of them.

"Athrun?" she called after a while.

No response.

She looked down to see Athrun, whose back was rising and falling rhythmically. She leaned down to poke his back. There was small sound of annoyance as he rolled over to face her, she could see his face, half hidden in the shadows, and it was a picture of peace and content. She let out a sigh. He was in a deep and good slumber.

"Athrun?" she said as she twisted to her side, her right hand supporting her head as she looked down at him.

"I'm sorry that I lied to you when you ask me if I like anyone. Well I do, I…I like you," her voice a whisper "I want to tell you so much, I want to tell you that I'm a girl, so that you could see me as I really am. Not as Caleb but as Cagalli. You know when you ask me how I know when you like someone. The truth is that you know it when you find yourself thinking about him when you least expected, when you just want to be there with him, when your smile becomes brighter whenever you're both in the same room. Or that you start to realise that when you think about the future, you want him in it. I know Athrun, because that is how I feel about you." She paused for a while as she looked at the guy she was pouring her heart out to, he was still sleeping.

"Will you hate me if I tell you that I'm a girl?" she whispered out. "I wondered what your reaction would be. Will you be angry? Betrayed? Upset? You know, I don't care, as long as you forgive me in the end and…and don't hate me. It doesn't matter if you don't love me, just…just don't hate me. I don't think I could stand it if you do. I mean when you were furious at me and didn't talk to me for three days, I was already in agony. I don't want to think what I'll be if you hate me," she swallowed. The guy still continued in sleep, unaware of a girl getting choked up because of him.

"I promised Athrun, that when all this is over, I will tell you that I'm a girl and that I…I love you. You deserved to know and I deserved a shot at my happily ever after with my knight," she said softly as she reached her hand out and brushed away the strands of hair that had fallen over his face, feeling the strands through her fingers. Her fingers traced the outline of his jaw line to his chin as she used the back of her hand to stroke his cheek.

"Pick me, love me, won't you?" Cagalli said in a voice barely above a whisper as her hand lingered on his cheek. She gazed at him with clear desperation and love in her eyes.

She withdrew her hand as a lone tear escape her eyes, she didn't bother to wipe it away. No one will see the tears she shed tonight. It was her secret known to her and the soft shadows embracing her.

She adjusted her position, as she continued to look at the sleeping male, oblivious to the pain and love of the girl. She sniffed as she smiled despite herself.

Sleep can wait.

* * *

Hmm…-taps chin thoughtfully- what would you do if you're stuck with hottie Athrun Zala…-smiles-

Review!! Yes! I'll love to hear what you got to say about this chapter!!:)

Coolios! (thks for reading my fic!!:D)


	15. Chapter 15: Complication

So sorry about the late update. I had real trouble trying to fit Dearka's party in.

Thanks once again to all my awesome reviewers!! I really do enjoy reading your reviews! You guys are great!  
Also, it seems that alot were saying that Athrun was awake, personally if I was the reader I would want that but becoz I'm not and I have something elso plan for our fave couple, I'm afraid that dear Athrun remained zonk out during Cagall's confession. Sorry…  
**Moonlove: **Gald you like my fic! Eh…I don't know what's your defination of long but this fic isn't going to end quite so soon. So do keep reading!:D

Gundam SEED does not belong to me

Inspired(not so much) by the Shakespearean play - Twelfth Night or (more) Hana Kimi or (is there still any trace of it??!!!)She's the man all jumble together:)

ENJOY!!!:))) Ok I edited it already…do hope its better!:D

* * *

Athrun groaned he was having the worst backache in the history of backaches. He stretched on the ground as he stared up at the ceiling, frowning. He had the most peculiar feeling as he subconsciously touched his right cheek like he expected to find something there, something that he had missed. _Hm…_ he thought as eyebrows pulled together to the middle as he lay on the ground thinking. He felt that he was left out of the loop when he was asleep, something important that he ought to know…like a major exam or something like that.

He turned to face his sleeping friend. His head propped up on one hand, his other lying across his abdomen. _Like an Egyptian_ _goddess…_was the first thing that popped into his mind. He blinked. _Goddess? No, God. No. What the hell am I thinking? _He shook his head as he sat up, wincing. He finally felt the full toll of sleeping on the hard, cold floor all night. He wondered if he should wake Caleb up.

Hesitatingly, he kneeled beside Caleb's head and shook him. His friend gave a sound of irritation as he stirred. Athrun rolled his eyes.

"Wake up!" he said.

"Go away," was the mumbled reply that he got.

Athrun smirked as he decided to get his revenge for making him sleep on the floor.

He positioned his head over Caleb's ear as he struggled to keep his laughter inside of him.

"Caleb! You're late for math lessons!" he shouted in his friend's ear.

The effect was imminent as Cagalli's head shot up and Athrun immediately regretted pulling the trick.

Cagalli's head had unceremoniously collided with Athrun's face, of course between the hard skull and the soft facial muscles, you could probably guessed who bore the brunt of the collide. Athrun fell on his butt as he nursed his face which was hurting badly. His eyes watering as he swore underneath his breath. He was pretty sure his nose was broken.

Cagalli glanced around wildly, her heart thumping. She was late! She can't be late, especially for math lessons, the last time she was late she was sent out of class and had to serve detention was her math teacher, usually detention would not instil a phobia in her but then she had to do complex math sums in detention with the teacher breathing down on her neck, making small dissatisfied noises whenever Cagalli did an incorrect step. Cagalli had vowed that she would never go back to that hellhole ever again.

_Wait a minute..._she frowned as she slowly got back her bearings. She gave a small sound of surprise when she heard someone swearing. She turned to see Athrun covering his face with his hand, it was clear he was in pain.

"I think you just broke my nose," Athrun's muffled voice complained.

Cagalli snorted as she got off her bench and knelt beside Athrun.

"Don't be stupid, let me see."

Athrun shook his head as Cagalli let out an exasperated sigh, she tugged his hands down and Athrun unwillingly allowed her to examine his nose, feeling the slight coolness of the skin as she gently touched his face.

Athrun flushed under her touch as he adverted his eyes. He could not bring himself to look into her face.

"It's not broken, what were you doing?" she asked as she sat back.

"Umm…**"**Athrun fumbled for a reply, he didn't want to admit his childishness to get back at her.

Cagalli looked at him expectantly in an almost amused manner.

_Click!_

Both of them turned to face the sound, Athrun let out an invisible sigh of relief, _saved by the click!_

The door opened, revealing four males, one old wizened man while the other three teenagers came in when the door opened. The old man muttered something incoherent under his breath but it sounded vaguely like "_Kids these_ _days…"_

"Oh! We so glad that you're ok!" Kira said with clear relief as he approached the both of them, he lowered his voice when he neared Cagalli but not low enough to keep out the three eavesdroppers.

"Did he do anything-"

"No," Cagalli replied curtly, her eyes flashing as she cut off her brother in mid-sentence.

The other three boys exchanged curious glances. The same question echoing in their minds.

_What would Athrun be doing anything with Caleb?_

"Ah yes! Freedom!" Cagalli said a bit too cheery as she threw her hands up, before changing the subject. "Ah! Today is Dearka's party right?"

Dearka immediately perked up. "Yes my man! And you're going to love it! Especially the games we're playing! We're taking full advantage of the fact we have girls at the party!" Dearka's eyebrows were wagging suggestively.

"Give us a break Elsman, you've been at it for days!" Yzak scoffed.

"Aw, I know you're looking forward to it! Look at it this way! You finally have a chance to pick up chicks without scaring them off! Who knows, you might make them laugh for once!" Dearka teased.

Yzak growled as his friends chuckled.

_Laugh…_that word triggered something in her memory bank. Something that she had paid little attention to…her eyes widened.

"Yzak already made a girl laugh, I saw you laughing with Shiho that day," Cagalli said, painfully oblivious.

Three shocked faces. Three jaws hitting the floor. Three boys wondering if the world had finally gone off its axis.

Yzak's face twitched as he stared at Cagalli. _Shit…_

He braced himself for the hell he was about to receive.

Sure enough Dearka's scream echoed throughout the sports building.

"HOLY CRAP! YOU'RE DATING SHIHO HAHNENFUSS?!!"

* * *

"Can you please tell me your plan?" Cagalli pleaded with Kira, they were on their way to Dearka's party. Kira sighed, Cagalli had been pestering him since he met her an hour ago. _Shinn is lucky that he didn't go with us_ he thought darkly.

"Fine," Kira sighed as Cagalli "Yes!" very loudly.

He rolled his eyes as he explained,

"Dearka likes to play games. And it those really uncomfortable, invasion-of-personal-space, humiliating kinds. You know like 'spin the bottle', 'Truth or dare'. Only Dearka decided that playing one by one was not fun so he combined it into this really annoying game where the 'spinner' would be able to decide what sort of 'punishment' to dish out. So that's what we're planning to do. Use that game as an excuse for your hair colour."

Cagalli's mouth formed an 'O'. _Convenient _she mused to herself, then she frowned.

"But then how are you going to make sure that the bottle is pointing at me?" she asked.

Kira grinned mysteriously. "I'm not on the honour roll just because I study hard you know."

Suddenly Cagalli felt wary and wondered if it's too late to get a refund on the hair dye and coloured contacts.

* * *

Two hours later, she found herself sandwiched between two random persons as they sat in a circle, Cagalli could tell that everyone was very excited about the game, she could see why. It was probably the only time you could do things without being called a jerk or getting embarrassed. She had seen people getting creamed, telling their deepest darkest secret and the frequent disappearances of two persons, mostly one girl and one boy. She really did not want to think where they were going but she had the inkling what they were doing when they came back all with identical goofy grins and slightly tousled look. She cringed when it was Shinn's turn.

Shinn looked at her smirking as he spun the bottle. Cagalli swallowed. Everyone watched with batted breath at the spinning bottle as it gradually lose momentum. Cagalli suddenly felt doubtful as she calculated that the bottle would most likely stop at least two persons after her. But then it stopped almost abruptly at her, like something stop it in mid spin. She sneaked a glance at Kira who was looking very smug as the girls around her let out groans.

Shinn was smiling in a very satisfied manner like a wolf after a hearty meal as he pulled out the hair dye to sounds of pity from the girls and laughter from the guys. Cagalli played her part at acting annoyed and groaned.

"Irritating," she muttered.

* * *

Spatters of conversations…

"At least it's brown."

"…I'll die if it's pink or purple."

"…Caleb-kun looks so cute in brown!"

…and loads of fan girls squealing when Cagalli emerged with her new hair colour.

The commotion attracted Athrun who was at the other end of the party preferring to keep his distance from the game after a very bad experience involving a locked closet and a very forward girl when he was forced to take part in the game. He was still reliving the nightmare one year on.

However, he was curious as to the large crowd. His eyes widened when he saw his once blond roommate was now a brunette. He let a short chortle at the pained expression on Caleb's face, reinforcing his decision was a smart one to not participate in such degrading game.

Cagalli's face reddened at being the centre of attention, she thanked god that she had managed to persuade Shinn to drop the contacts. She looked strange in brown; it had never been her colour, she very much like being a blond. But for the sake of beating Emirates, a little inconvenience like hair colour isn't going to stop her. After the girls and guys had finished gushing and teasing her, they returned to their game, after all Caleb's hair colour was only part of the game.

Athrun approached Cagalli after the party had ended; she was tugging at her hair, obviously annoyed at the now-brown hair.

"You could have just said no," he said lightly.

"I know but…" she let out a frustrated cry. Just because she had to do it didn't mean she had to like it. "Ah! At least it's only temporary; I'll skin him alive if it's permanent."

Athrun chuckled as he ruffled Cagalli's hair. Cagalli felt her face heating up by the innocent gesture.

"Brown is nice, but you know what?"

Cagalli looked at him questioning.

"I like you better in blond," he said smiling, his hand still resting on top of her head.

Cagalli blinked at him as her blush deepened.

_Athrun likes me in blonde_ she thought giddily, letting out a very uncharacteristic giggle from her.

Maybe she would rethink killing Kira and Shinn.

* * *

It was D-day.

The day of the volleyball finals.

The final showdown between Emirates and ZAFT.

The day that Cagalli had been waiting for, training for has finally arrived.

She sat in the locker room with the rest of her teammates. Bursts of chatters here and there, but there was an unmistakable feeling of nervousness and anticipation that existed around them.

Cagalli didn't like staying in the room with such edginess. It did little to soothe her nerves and it tends to make her imaginations go wild with unrealistic scenarios, but between here and panicking alone. She very much rather be here.

Cagalli concluded that _People deal with stress in many different ways_, as she studied her teammates.

It seemed that even the mighty ZAFT Knights aren't impervious to pre-game jitters. Some deal with it by muttering 'who-knows-what' under their breath, staring into space, fidgeting every now and then. You could swear you could hear their hearts thumping so loudly. Most were like her, going through tatics and mentally visualising the match. Some began to talk very loudly like Dearka who was yapping away to anyone who would listen about the fabulous party to celebrate their win. Yzak who was sitting near Dearka looked as though he wanted to strangle the insufferable blond. That or he really needed to use the toilet.

Frankly, Cagalli would rather Dearka shut his trap on the big cake he was going to order. To her, it was taboo and bad luck to plan a celebration beforehand. Because things tend to go wrong in the worst possible way you could ever imagine.

However there is always a few who does not adhere to the norm people like Athrun and Kira who seemed calm and serene as they were engaged in deep in conversation with the Coach. Cagalli sniffed as she looked at the three of them, wishing that she could feel as calm as them rather the jumbled nerves she now was.

Shinn walked over and plonked himself beside her. He was seemed to be very together compared to some who were sitting stiffly.

"Cold feet?" he drawled.

Cagalli licked her lips as she shrugged.

"OK," her voice sounded hoarse like she hadn't spoken in a decade.

Shinn smirked as he leaned towards her.

"Don't worry, we got your back," he whispered, his breath tickling her ear. Cagalli instinctively leaned away and looked at him wide-eyed. He winked at her as he leaned back, Shinn was being very strange, Cagalli wondered if it's his way of dealing with nervousness, acting so…so friendly…She was about to comment on it when the locker room door opened, causing everyone's heads to turn towards it, was it already time?

Cagalli's amber eyes widened when she saw the person standing in the doorway, it was the last person she expected to see here.

"K-Kayla?" she said in disbelief as the black-haired girl scanned the room before her eyes landed on Cagalli. Her face relief before tensing up as she stalked over to her, ignoring the many curious eyes that followed her.

"I need to talk to you now," Kayla hissed.

Cagalli blinked, confused. "Huh?"

"Emirates people are not allowed here," Shinn said coldly, noting the uniform of the girl.

Kayla's amber eyes flashed but she held her tongue, she got more pressing issues to deal with that to bicker with him.

"We're in trouble, as in over-our-head sinking in deep shit trouble with no escapes and lifelines. We're in freaking boiling soup," Kayla said thickly as she dragged her confused cousin out the room.

"K-Kayla?!" Cagalli protested, bewildered by the string of words coming out from her mouth. "We're supposed to go out in fifteen minutes time."

The both of them were about a few steps from the door when Athrun and Kira stood in their way, blocking them. Kayla looked irritated; she was running very low on time.

"Move," she growled, her eyes narrowing.

"What are you doing to my player?" Athrun demanded.

Kayla glared at him, before frowning. _Blue hair, green eyes, really hot…_

"Are you Athrun?" she asked, momentarily forgetting what she was here for.

Athrun looked shocked that this strange girl who was kidnapping his teammate knew his name.

"Do I know you?"

Kayla ignored him as she turned to her flushing cousin with one eyebrow raised. Cagalli had forgotten that she had told Kayla about Athrun when she was informing Kayla that she had found her twin. Kayla had deduced that her cousin likes him from the tone and how much said guy tend to come up in their phone conversations.

"Nice," Kayla said approvingly.

Cagalli's face turned even redder as the two boys looked lost.

"I'll be back," Cagalli reassured but Athrun set his jaw. This was too suspicious, the game was about to begin and this Emirates girl came out from nowhere and demanded to speak to Caleb in private? It was ringing alarm bells in his mind.

Kayla sensing his worries, piped in.

"Don't worry; I just want to wish Caga- I mean um…" A brown-haired male's amethyst eyes widened. _This girl knows…_

Kayla fumbled as she tried to remember the name…Shucks she forgotten Cagalli's alias in ZAFT.

"Caleb," Cagalli hissed into her ear.

"Caleb! Ya, I want to wish him luck." Kayla finished, she can't believe she almost let slip Cagalli's secret.

"Why don't you just say it here?" Athrun asked, his eyes narrowing.

"B-because…"Kayla started, her brain cells working overtime.

Cagalli opened her mouth to say something when suddenly Kayla blurted out,

"Caleb's my boyfriend!"

"Boyfriend?" the locker room echoed with disbelief.

Athrun's eyebrows stared at the girl disbelieving, feeling the strange familiar mix of emotions again, the same one that struck him when he saw Shinn and Caleb that day.

Cagalli seethed behind Kayla, she was so going to give her cousin hell for declaring them as a couple.

"Yes, boyfriend," Kayla said, her heart thumping. She wrapped her arms around Cagall's torso, her insides cringing, she wasn't exactly the best liar out there. "Do you really want me to say good luck to my boyfriend in the locker room?" Kayla challenged her tone very suggestive.

There were sniggers in the background and some wolf-whistles.

"No, of course not!" Kira said smiling knowingly; he could tell that this girl was lying, her face slightly red and her body language towards Cagalli a bit too reserved for a girlfriend, she was still aware of the fact that she was hugging a girl and not a boy.

"Just don't take too long," Kira said as both girls pushed past a rather stunned Athrun.

"Kayla!" Cagalli scolded.

"I'm sorry! But what was I supposed to do? You _boyfriend_ was blocking our way and we're strapped for time!" Kayla burst out, her arms flailing about.

"He is NOT my boyfriend! And why are you here?" Cagalli demanded hotly.

Kayla let out a resigned sigh that raised Cagalli's eyebrows, something was definitely not right and she said something about short on time…

Kayla let out a resigned sigh. "They know Cagalli. They know."

Cagalli stared at her for a few seconds before the enormity of the words hit her. She felt the world around her spin, her ears blocked by a deafening silence as Kayla's words reverberated in her head. _That's impossible…_she thought numbly. Her heart thumping faster and faster as she drew in sharp intakes of air. _It must be a dream…_

'H-How?" She did not understand, she was so careful.

"It doesn't matter now; right now we got to stop them. Cagalli do you understand what I'm saying?" Kayla's voice sounded so distant.

"Cagalli!" Kayla grabbed her and shook her into reality.

Cagalli's eyes glazed over her cousin's face, she could feel her hopes and resolution fading. That was it, there's no way she could carry on as Caleb Yula, Emirates know and they would expose her and clinch the gold if the officals found out. She had to quit if not ZAFT would lose before they even began. Cagalli had never felt so helpless and hopeless in her life.

"I-I don't understand," her voice sounded so unnatural.

"Cagalli snap out of it! Now is not the time to panic, I-I have a plan,"

Cagalli's eyes focused. _Kayla had a plan…_If there's one thing Cagalli was sure was that her cousin's ability to come up with quick fixes. She felt her heart leaped slightly. Maybe all is not lost.

"What is your-"

Kayla shook her head. "No, what I need you to do is to get out there and play your heart out and win the championships. We're counting on you Cagalli! The girls' team. Your ZAFT team. You can't falter at the last stretch. We're so close to the end, don't let up!"

Cagalli gazed at her cousin's determined and believing face. She was radiating hope and faith. Hope and faith in her. For the first time since she made the decision to come to ZAFT, she felt the weight of her burden, the faith her old teammates placed in her. She cannot afford to trip, she nodded with renewed strength.

"The charade continues till the end, no matter what," Cagalli said fiercely. "I don't care what Yunna throws at me. He can't defeat me."

Kayla nodded as she smiled; feeling a strong rush of confidence, something she lacked when she came up with the plan. Cagalli was ready to fight and she was willing to support her through.

"That's the spirit, now go! Make all of us proud!" Kayla said her voice thick with pride.

Cagalli pulled her cousin into a bear hug, hoping to gain some more confidence from her cousin.

"Take care Kayla,"

"You too cous, all the best." Kayla said as they broke the hug.

The locker room door opened, it was time. Cagalli nodded to her cousin as she rushed to join her teammates.

Kayla bit her lower lip; she kept a lot from Cagalli because she knew that the other information would only serve as a distraction to her cousin. She just needed Cagalli to be on her guard when it happened. She looked at her cousin's back before turning and bolting in the opposite direction.

Time was everything.

* * *

Earlier on…

_A group of noisy girls was walking towards the Volleyball Court where the final match was to be held. They were chatting away happily, excited for the upcoming match. A black-haired girl laughed as one of her friends did a horrible imitation of the Emirates Coach's thunderstruck face at the defeat of his team when her amber eyes caught a glint of purple. Startled, she doubled-back and frowned. _

_The Emirates volleyball captain was walking hastily as though eager not to be seen. His head was turning everywhere as though expecting someone to be tailing him. _

"_Strange…" she mumbled._

"_What's strange Kayla?" a red head asked._

"_There," Kayla upped her head towards Yunna. The red head frowned as well._

"_You're right. That freak is without his circus troupe," she sneered._

_Kayla let out a humourless laugh. _

"_I wondered where he's going?" the red head's twin asked._

_She exchanged looks with her sister, both have identical smiles._

"_Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"_

"_I think I am. Charlene."_

_Kayla rolled her eyes. "Banana in pyjamas? It was cute when we're younger, now it's just plain sad."_

"_Shut up Kayla, you're just jealous because you don't have a twin," Charlene said crossly. _

"_Whatever B2, c'mon we're going to lose him," Kayla said as she and the twins excused themselves from their group._

_They took a spying spot behind some bushes; they were able to see Yunna who was diagonally from them._

"_What's he doing?" Charlene cranked her neck to see. "Can you see Cheryl?"_

"_I think he's waiting for someone," her twin replied._

_Sure enough a red short-haired girl came into view, her face unreadable._

_The three spies gasped._

"_Is that he's new girlfriend?"_

"_I didn't know he knew girls from ZAFT?"_

"_That girl must be really desperate,"_

_"Nah…I think he must have paid her to act the part."_

"_How much? I would rather eat raw liver than let the jerk lay a finger on me."_

_Sniggers were heard from the bushes._

"_You know…She looks familiar, I think I seen her before…"_ _Charlene said as she tried to remember where._

"_Hey look!" Kayla said urgently, her eyes widening._

_The red haired girl was pulling an A4 sized brown envelope from her bag and passed it to Yunna. Yunna looked a tat sceptical as he opened the envelope and pulled out the contents._

_Kayla's jaw dropped. _

"_Isn't that-"_

"_No-"_

"_Oh_ _my…"_

"_H-How did it end up with _her?_"_

_Kayla rubbed her eyes not believing what she was seeing. But there was no mistaking what she was seeing. The bright pink cursive _'C'_ against the glossy black was more than enough confirmation for her. She prayed it was the wallet…if it was the other one…_

_She bit her lower lip, her heart threatening to burst out of her. Yuuna was taking so long to open it, when he did. There was a sickening smirk on his face and sheer horror on the three hiding girls' faces._

"_Cagalli, you idiot!" Kayla cursed. "She's going to be the death of me!"_

"_Not just you, us too," Cheryl added darkly. She couldn't believe that Cagalli had brought the present they bought for her to ZAFT. _

"_We got to do something," Charlene breathed._

"_That's the understatement of the century," her twin replied dryly._

"_But how? We can't just run out and grab it from him!…Well I supposed we could, three of us against the two of them."_

"_No, it would make matters worse. Who knows what other incriminating evidence they have? We could make the situation worst," Kayla reasoned._

"_Well, what do you propose we do?"_

_Kayla thought hard as the two conspiring figures were talking in voices too far to hear and Yunna was pulling out papers from inside the envelope, Kayla could just make out the small crest of ZAFT at the top-right hand corner. Yunna seemed satisfied and smug while the girl looked impassive. Letting no slip of her emotions, but there was certain hardness in her eyes that suggested that she had her own personal agenda in exposing Cagalli's gender._

_Kayla's brain worked furiously, she had a loose plan, she wasn't sure if it would work, but it was the best she could come up with._

"_Charlene, do you have your camera with you?"_

_Charlene looked perplexed as to how her digital camera was going to help._

_"Ya…I was going to capture the boys' team faces when the lose, why?"_

"_Are the pool party pictures still in there?"_

_Charlene nodded slowly before a devilish smile appeared on her face. She was starting to see Kayla's plan. Then, she frowned, a very crucial element was missing._

"_How are we going to get that envelope?" she asked._

_Kayla turned to Cheryl with a big smile._

_Cheryl looked at her, _Oh no…oh no

_Cherly glowered at her. "No way in hell,"_

_Kayla turned on her puppy eyes. "C'mon Cheryl, think of Cagalli. Think of the consequences if they do find out! All would be for nothing, Cheryl c'mon! If my plan is going to work we're going to need a little inside help. Please?"_

_Charlene nodded fervently. Cheryl glared at the both of them before letting out a sigh. She knew for the sake of Cagalli and what she was doing. She had no choice but to do it._

"_Fine, but you guys owe me big time," she grumbled._

_Kayla's smile widened. "Ok…here's what we're going to do. Charlene you need to print those pool pictures and get an identical envelope. Cheryl…" Kayla smiled slyly. "You know what you got to do."_

_Cheryl grumbled some more before the twins took off in separate directions. Kayla returned her attention to the two figures, her insides twisting, she wasn't sure if her plan would work, it was a very hap-hazard plan filled with holes and required a lot of luck to pull it off. She could think of thousand and one things that could go wrong. She grimaced now is not the time for hesitation, she needed to warn Cagalli. There's no telling when or how or what Yunna would do and even more unpredictable was Cagalli's reaction. She sighed as she quietly made her way towards the building to find her cousin._

"_Cagalli…what did you do that incur the wrath of that girl?"_

_

* * *

_

Oh gosh! What's going to happen? What the-?

**Final chance to become a knight! Just answer and get the first two questions right!  
A little bit of detective work but I can assured you the answers are all in the fic. Keep a sharp eye out!:D**

1)Who is the girl?  
2)What do you think prompted the girl to expose Cagalli's secret?  
3)What you think of this chapter?!

Have fun! Gosh! Love to hear from all of you!!:D

Coolios! (Thks for reading and I hope you enjoy it!)


	16. Chapter 16: Two races, One end part I

This update is long overdue…sorry!

I got people to knight heeh…**cagallifangurl****, ****imuzuok****, ****Yume Yamamura**,**ASUKA-CHANNIES,****x. Midnight . Insanity .x** ,**D.L.S**,**Hegodart, MoonliteShadow101, Black rose and Ehmi...Rise and claim your rightful place upon the Order of Twelfth Knight. Congrats!! So glad many of you got it!** If you didn't please don't be disheartened ok? Smiles!!! Thanks for taking part! Love you all and the reviews I got for the last chapter!! Do review this chapter even though there isn't much athrunxcagalli action in it..-sob-

Answers to the qns: It's Lunamaria -smile- and she's jealous that Cagalli was having Shinn's attention and she was the one who picked up Cagalli's cardholder with the incriminating pics in it, thus she knows Cagalli's secret. If you noticed, I put in a subtle hint in chapter 5. Go read it and see if you can find it. (If your ans are somewhere along the same line, you'be knighted. I was very leniant about it:D)

Gundam SEED is such nice series because it brought us Athrun and Cagalli; too bad I don't own it…

Inspired(not so much) by the Shakespearean play - Twelfth Night or (more) Hana Kimi or (is there still any trace of it??!!!)She's the man all jumble together:)

ENJOY!!!:)))

* * *

Her heart was thumping loudly, her mind a whirlwind of confusion and fear, her face reflecting her inner self. Pale and wide-eyed.

"Caleb?" Shinn asked concerned.

"What happened? Your girlfriend broke up with you?" he added smirking as some of the boys who heard it turned towards them, some smiling sympathetically. Cagalli tried glaring at him but what came up was a fearful expression that took Shinn by surprise.

"Oh shit, I'm sorry, I didn't** -**…wait, why am I apologising?"

"No, it's not that," Cagalli replied hoarsely. She glanced around to see that most of her teammates were talking among themselves, not paying attention to them.

"Kayla told me that Emirates knows about my secret."

Shinn gaped openly, realising the seriousness of the situation as his eyes widened.

"Wh–what?!"

Cagalli shrugged helplessly. "I don't know," she said miserably."Kayla told me not to worry…but, I'm still scared. Shinn, I can't take part in the final match and ruined ZAFT's chances of winning gold."

Shinn looked at her, his eyes blazing with ferocity.

"Don't be stupid! Like it matters now, even if you don't play now. They'll still disqualify us because you already competed in the earlier matches. If you wanted to quit and not 'ruin ZAFT's chances of winning gold' as you said it, you shouldn't even have competed in the first place then, better yet, you shouldn't even have come to ZAFT. So in conclusion, you might as well just play in the final match."

Cagalli stared at him before the corners of her mouth twitched upwards.

"Shinn, you suck at comforting people, you know that?"

Shinn grinned. "I never said it was my forte, but you have to admit it was good."

Cagalli rolled her eyes. If she was going down, she might as take down as many Emirates boys as she can.

* * *

Kayla was running to the court, she burst through the door and scanned frantically for Cheryl. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her talking to one of the Emirates volleyball player, the guy was nodding and smiling slightly before frowning slightly.

Kayla bit her lower lip as she glanced at her watch. 12 noon.

The game would be starting soon.

She saw the players coming onto the court. The red and black ZAFT jerseys contrasting against the white and blue of the Emirates, she flinched slightly when the loud screams and shrieks erupted all around her. The spectators were clearly expecting an unforgettable match. Little did they know that they'll be getting more than they bargain for. Kayla's mind raced as she went through the plan in her mind. She glanced up at the stands to see her friends cheering. They were seated directly behind the Emirates team; they wanted front row seats to the Coach's horrified expression when ZAFT clinched the gold once again.

A smile spread across her face. "Hmm…" she said thoughtfully.

* * *

Coach Mwu was having a last minute talk with his team, his face a picture of seriousness as he talked strategy.

"…First team out, Zala, Samuels, McKenzine, Yula, Yamato and Joule! Clear?…Hands in!"

A loud cheer erupted from them before dispersing to their respective places. Some started their warm up passes and spikes as the crowd began to cheer them each team on. The atmosphere in the stadium was infectious and soon the ZAFT boys were getting into the upcoming game, they finally felt the Final match excitement and anxiety. Cagalli set her jaw as she sneaked a glance to the Emirates side. They were doing the same as them, warming up. Cagalli couldn't help but noticed that their spikes and coordination had improved since she last saw them four months ago. She grimaced as a short stab of uncertainty struck her briefly, but it was immediately squashed when she saw her girl's team waving at her and smiling brightly. _Who gives a damn about them? _She thought as she smiled back at them, their confidence and faith in her were giving her strength and courage to fight in this match.

A whistle resounded signalling that the match was about to begin; she jogged over to her coach for the last time before heading out to face Emirates. As the twelve players took their positions on the court, Cagalli received the ball from the umpire. Dribbling a few times, she looked at the opposing team; Yunna was in her line of vision he was smirking at her as he drew a line with his thumb across his throat. Cagalli narrowed her eyes, refusing to let it get to her as she readied her serve. Throwing the ball up, she took a flying leap as her hand collided with the smooth skin of the ball. The ball shot through the air and over the net as Cagalli smirked when she saw one of the players digging underneath her ball only send it out of the court. Yunna saw it and glared at Cagalli. That guy shouldn't have caught the ball; it was already out. No doubt Yuuna had made known her signature move to his teammates and that player thinking that he'd played hero decided to catch the ball instead. If Yunna thought that he had figured out Cagalli's moves, he was in for a rude awakening.

The game had just gotten a whole lot more interesting.

_**0–0, 1st set: 1–0 to ZAFT**_

* * *

Kayla's phone rang, she was watching from the sidelines, marvelling at how her cousin had improved so much in four months.

"Hello?" she answered distractedly.

"Kayla? I'm here?" A voice panted down the line.

That got her attention as she turned her back against the match, not before seeing Cagalli jumping up to spike the ball downwards. A loud cheer from ZAFT side signalled to Kayla that Cagalli's spike was as deadly as ever.

"Outside the stadium?" she asked, gripping her phone tighter, she was straining to hear what Charlene was saying.

"Yeah, what now?"

"Stay there, I'll get Cheryl," Kayla said before shutting her phone to find Cheryl who was sitting in the stands with the other friends. As if sensing her gaze, Cheryl turned towards Kayla. Kayla nodded and jerked her head to the door. Cheryl understood and excused herself. While Kayla waited for Cheryl to join her, she absent-mindedly watch the match. Athrun was doing an overhead pass, pushing the ball forward to his teammates; Cagalli was there to catch it and easily volleyed it back to ZAFT.

_They worked well together. _Kayla noted.

_**0–0, 1st set: 10–5 to ZAFT**_

* * *

Cagalli wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, panting slightly. It seems that it wasn't just her who got better in four months; Emirates team had improved as well too. They were playing way better than Cagalli expected, she gritted her teeth as she saw Yunna's spike the ball. She moved sideways.

"Kira! Here!" she cried as Kira passed it to her. She jumped and slammed the ball in the opposing team court, half-wishing that it would smash into that arrogant git's face. She almost got her wish but the he evaded at the last second, causing the ball to land on the floor. She cheered with the ZAFT supporters. Yunna's split-second decision to protect his face had caused his team one point. Yunna was seething, clearly angered.

Athrun was taking the serve as she stood in front of the net, shifting her weight from one foot to the other and back again, her figure half-crouching.

"You're dead, Ca-ga-li," he stretched her name out and spoke in a voice loud enough for her to hear only.

Cagalli scowled angrily at him as her insides fluttered. "Bring it," she challenged as she heard the resounding 'ping' when Athrun's hand collided with the ball. She moved away as Yunna watched the ball sailed to his side.

**_0–0, 1st set: 22–12 To ZAFT_**

* * *

Kayla and Cheryl were racing outside to meet Charlene. Charlene was there as she held out a bag which Kayla took without hesitation. Taking out the pictures, she gave a short laugh as Cheryl looked over the shoulders. "Ah…I see," she realised. Kayla quickly transferred the pictures into the identical brown envelope. It looked exactly like the real thing.

"How are we going to make the switch? We don't even know where it is?" Charlene asked.

"Actually it's in Yunna's bag, "Cheryl answered. "Hiro told me that Yunna had disappeared and came back smiling, hand holding the brown envelope and putting it in his bag. Hiro said that the team didn't know much except that Yunna said that he had a trump card that would see Emirates up on the podium wearing the gold medals. It seemed like only Yunna knows about the plan, the rest of the guys were simple baffled by his words. So I kind of hinted that Yunna may be planning to do something unscrupulous and illegal, and Hiro believed me…" Cheryl said with a sheepish smile while the two girls looked at her with a wry smile.

"And then?" Kayla prompted.

Cheryl cleared her throat before continuing, "I…I made up a story about Yunna talking to some people and that I witnessed a transaction that seemed a little ambiguous…and I just let Hiro think what was going on. He came to his own conclusion and he was angry that Yunna was doing whatever he was doing. By the looks of it, he would probably help us to switch the envelope, since we can't obviously do it ourselves."

"Yup, we can't and neither can Hiro too without Yunna noticing," Kayla said.

The twins exchanged looks but before either can say anything, Kayla held up a hand and said,

"…which is why we need a distraction. And yes, there's already one in place," Kayla said grinning.

The twins looked at her quizzically.

Kayla took a quick glance at her watch, "It should be starting soon if I'm not wrong. You won't want to miss Megumi and her cat claws…" Kayla said laughing, she was beginning to enjoy her plan once she was sure that it was pretty much going according to plan.

**_1–0 to ZAFT, 2nd set: 5–3 to ZAFT_**

* * *

"Time-out!" The umpire blew his whistle.

The teams jogged away to their respective benches as the spectators chatted nosily while waiting for the game to resume. The atmosphere was electrifying. The Emirates coach were talking urgently to his players, his voice rising be the passing second. He was not going to have a repeat of last year. He was in a middle of his pep talk when a voice cut through, loud enough for those standing nearest to the stands to hear.

"We're losing again like last year, what a letdown. And here I thought that it would at least be a decent fight."

Those nearest to the stands turned their heads to frown at the girl who spoke before turning back to their coach. The rest were still oblivious. No one noticed three girls who had slipped back into stands and was standing at the edge of the Emirates' boys huddling around the coach.

"Yeah…I thought so as well. It's turning out to be like last year again. Well as least we did slightly better than the previous year, maybe it won't be so embarrassing. I mean 25-4? God! I would die if it was the same score this year," another girl said louder, this time more boys heard it and shot her a dirty look. She merely raised one eyebrow and crossed her arms.

"You know what I think? I think the coach disband the wrong team. I'd bet that he's regretting dissolving the girl's team. I mean there's no way he would still think he'd made the right decision. Anyone with half-a-brain would know better than to keep a losing team!"

The Emirates coach flinched as he heard the cutting words. He was infamous for his temper and rashness. By now, the boys' team had heard what the girls were saying and was glaring at them. They advanced over to them, the girls were not fazed by it but stood up and stared down at them defiantly.

"Do you want to repeat that again?" a voice growled.

By now, some of the Emirates students were beginning to take notice of the little exchange going on as they were nudging and pointing at the two groups.

The girl standing in the middle replied, "I said that you're making our school look bad. It's humiliating the first time round but to suffer it again because of your incompetency this year? What crap is this?"

The words were like sharp daggers, rapidly deflating the huge ego of the Emirates' team.

"Why don't you come down and say it to our faces? Or are you a bunch of scaredy-cat girls?" The same guy said, smirking as he looked at the girls.

Their eyes flashed as the lead girl swung herself over the railings and landed in front of the guys. It was only a short drop of less than three feet, her friends followed suit. You could hear the girls sharpening their cat claws.

"Let me repeat myself, you're a disgrace to the school," the girl said bluntly. The boy growled as he lunged forward only to be stop by his teammates.

"You can't even pass a ball to save your life," another girl added. Tensions were rising between the two groups.

"I feel so embarrassed to call myself an Emirates student." Neither group saw the three girls passing an envelope to one of the Emirates players at the outskirts of the group. The red head gave him a wink before dashing off to join her two friends.

"C'mon Megumi, there's no need for the acid tongue, we know you're upset but rest assured that Emirates would be bringing home the gold…" Yunna said coolly, managing a sly smile.

The girls raised their eyebrows at his words before Megumi snorted.

"Acid tongue? I'm not insulting you guys. I'm merely stating the facts, that's all. The truth is never pretty but then its better that you heard it from your own schoolmates than seeing it when you lose to ZAFT later. The truth is that – 'The boys' team has no talent.'" Megumi said almost carelessly. "I think the whole stadium knows that."

"That's it, you're just asking for it!" a figure charged forward but hands stop him from advancing further. The boy turned his fury onto his teammates and began hitting his teammates. His teammates just barely evaded his punch. By now, some of the boys were following his suit and advanced towards the girls. The girls shrieked as they defended themselves. Some of the more level-headed males tried to stop them from attacking the girls. The whole stadium was alerted to the fight going on at the Emirates side. Officials and teachers were racing to the scene to break up the scuffle. The whole stadium watched in shock, with all eyes fixed at the scuffle, no one realised that an envelope was passed back to the three girls, the red head smiled as she disappeared with her friends to the back of the stands.

* * *

"Defense seems to be –?" Mwu started but was interrupted by a loud shriek. The ZAFT team turned to see the scuffle happening across from them. Cagalli's jaw dropped as she watched in horror, her Emirates friends were in the middle of the clash.

Dearka let out a low whistle. "Remind me never to get on the wrong side of those Emirates girls. Man! They're scary!" Some of the boys chuckled at this. But Cagalli was not the least amused as she shot Dearka's a withering look. She prayed that none of her friends got injured; she didn't give a damn about the boys. But the girls…if something was to happened to them…she would have another reason to defeat them.

"Ok boys…Boys! We're still in the middle of a match here! Focus! Don't worry; the fight would be on youtube by the end of today. Emirates had obviously gotten better so I don't want to see any slacking off, clear?" The boys nodded eagerly.

"Champs on three…1…2…3! CHAMPS!"

The scuffle had ended, the officials were vehemently telling off Emirates' team. Their faces still fuming while the girls looked equally pissed. The girls were nodding as their eyes downcast at being given a warning for causing disturbance. They looked remorseful on the outside but on the inside they were not the least sorry. They were gloating.

Operation Distraction was a success. Everything was in place.

All that was left was the mouse.

_**1 – 0 to ZAFT, 2nd set: 10-6 to ZAFT**_

* * *

Emirates struck back with a vengeance, as though to prove what their schoolmates said were wrong. Each strike, each hit was fuelled by anger and desire to sweep this set away.

"Here!" a boy jumped high and smashed the ball over to ZAFT side. Cagalli for the first time felt a twinge of fear, the expression in the boy's face and the intensity of the spike intimidated her for a split-second.

Emirates were out for blood, and ZAFT blood was what they will get.

They scored hit after hit, ZAFT was gritting their teeth, matching the intensity and the skills of their opponent, while they trumped in skills, their intensity was visibly much lacking. ZAFT had not tasted humiliation so potent before. Humiliation by their own school. It was akin to a stab in the back. It was burning in Emirates' eyes. The want, the need to defeat ZAFT to gain back their honour, but ZAFT wasn't going down without a fight. They made sure that Emirates earned every single point they got. Cagalli set her jaw as Emirates set the ball over.

"Get it! Move!" a shout roared from the sidelines.

Kira dived for the ball barely catching it to pass it to another. Cagalli dug underneath it, sending it to the front. Yzak leapt and spiked over the ball but he did not noticed that Emirates were doing the same thing, the ball never saw Emirates side but returned to ZAFT. Cagalli let out a gasp as she dashed forward and dove underneath it, praying that she wasn't too late. She watched in horror as the ball bounced innocently in front of her fingers, she could feel the slight vibrations of the floor when it bounced. She was so close, her fingers almost skimming the ball. Cagalli lay face down on the floor as Emirates side cheered loudly. Emirates had claimed the second set.

_**1–1, 2nd set: 26–24 to Emirates**_

* * *

The third set was underway.

ZAFT was out to redeem themselves, they will show to the world why they were Orb's champions, why they were the one to beat, the one to fear. They will not lose to a bunch of stuck-up clowns.

"What are you waiting for? Move!" Mwu's voice boomed over the cheers and screams of the spectators. He was more anxious and agitated than the players themselves. Pacing up and down and gesturing with his hands to his players. In a game, it's usually the coaches that were the one to be more anxious, being stuck in the sidelines and watching his players made mistakes that he knew should not have happened sucks to put it bluntly.

"High!"

An overhead pass.

"Athrun!"

Athrun ran forward to dig under the ball.

"Me!"

Zane moved out of the way to let Cagalli take the shot.

"Get it!"

ZAFT was moving, forging ahead. They were working as a team, like parts of the same body. They were working not as individuals anymore but as a whole, working together to achieve the championship title. They were showing why they were called the best among the best.

**_1-1, 3rd set: 15-9 to ZAFT_**

* * *

"At least they're catching up. I thought for a moment that our plan had decided to turn and bite us in the ass," Cheryl whispered to her two companions. It had been a nail-biting third set after Emirates had miraculously clinched the second set.

"Chill, ZAFT will win this, see the way they move? They are a lot more coordinated compared to Emirates," Charlene observed, her eyes fixed on the ongoing battle happening below. Kayla bit her lower lip, her hands clenching as her eyes glazed over the match. Her mind was somewhere else. A awful thought struck her, she'd been so wrapped up in her current plan that she realised that she could have just taken the envelope away instead of replacing it with the bogus one. She cursed internally as at her stupidity, it was the safest and simplest plan. No envelope equals secret safe. Her mind frantically thought of reasons to justify her actions, she didn't want to the one everyone was pointing fingers to when the plan failed. No, there had to be a reason what she did was right. There had to be. Kayla blinked, _God…_she bit down harder on her lower lip. It was too late to take back the envelope. Her hands were tied, she could only pray.

_**2 – 1 to ZAFT, 3rd set: 25 – 15 to ZAFT**_

* * *

Emirates were clearly irritated as they break off after the third set. They had to win the next set, no doubt about it. They had to. Yunna smirked, it was time.

He strolled over to his bag and took out the brown envelope – his trump card. He didn't know what he did to deserve such _luck, _but that girl was clearly had a vendetta against his ex. Well, he didn't give a damn about that girl after all what he cared for was to championship title and to see her squirm and humiliated as her _schoolmates_ blamed her for the lost of their title. He was going to relish every moment of it. The only thing he regretted was not bringing the camera to capture it. _Shame_ he thought with a sadistic smile.

Confidently, he walked over to the official table where the announcer's desk was. There was a microphone on the table. If Yunna Roma Seiran was going to humiliate somebody, he wanted an audience, after all what the use of bringing someone to their knees with no one to see them grovelling?

Clearing his throat, he reached for the microphone as the officials at the table looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"Excuse me, if I could have everyone attention please?" The chatters were beginning to subside as people were beginning to turn towards him, making his smile even wider.

"I have something here that would interest everyone, especially our dear opponents."

Across the stadium, four girls' breath hitched as their throats went dry. _This was it_ a common thought echoed in their minds, their eyes transfixed on the scene unfolding before them.

* * *

Oh shucks!! Will Cagalli's secret be finally exposed? What going to happen next? More importantly…_what is Athrun's reaction going to be when he realised** –**_

I have a really good reason for such a late update, I was sucked into 3 awesome fanfics, it was those really depressing bittersweet stories where the lead died in all 3. I was in a limbo _forever_…I couldn't bring myself to write this chapter…it was too _happy_ for me-sniff- so sorry if some of my melachony spilled in this chapter…

Anyway, do review!! I know there isn't much Asucaga action but still review! It will not doubt motivate me to churn out the next chapter faster. trust me, it does.

Coolios! (thks for reading my fic!)


	17. Chapter 17: Two races, One end part II

Please forgive me for such a long delay! ): I promised this would be first and only longest time lag-ever.

Thank you! Thank you! For all your wonderful wonderful reviews! I really loved reading them! Keep reviewing!:D **Black Rose**: I'm so sorry that there wasn't any update! -sniff- After reading your review, I practically camped on the computer to churn out this chapter! haha so readers you know who to thank!:D

Gundam SEED does not belong to little ol' me:)

Inspired(not so much) by the Shakespearean play - Twelfth Night or (more) Hana Kimi or (is there still any trace of it??!!!)She's the man all jumble together:)

ENJOY!!:))) Ok! As of 31st May I had edited it…it did not alter the story but I just reinforced the the realisation when…Oo can't say…read on…

* * *

Yunna paused to let his words sink in. True enough; whispers were beginning to fill the stadium. He had no doubt captured the attention of his audience. Clearing his throat, he raised the brown envelope in his hand for all to see.

"In here, I have the proof that will no doubt drastically alter the dynamics of this game. In…" Pause. "Emirates' favour."

Yunna smiled as he brought the brown envelope down onto the officials' table and talked to them without the microphone. The officials were staring at him.

"Gentlemen, I'm sure you would something rather- _shocking_ inside," he said smugly.

_This is too easy_ he thought haughtily.

He could see it, Emirates taking home to trophy. Ironically he had to thank Cagalli, she had done her school a huge favour. Just not the one she's in now.

Ah…revenge is sweet.

* * *

"What the hell is that person blabbering about?" Dearka said darkly as the ZAFT team watched or rather _glared_ at the self-absorb captain talking.

"Athrun, you better go over there and take a look…wait, I'll go with you," Mwu added after he spotted the Emirates coach heading over. Sending Athrun alone would be a suicide mission.

Athrun nodded as they made their way across the court to the officials' table.

Yunna after handing over the incriminating evidence was still speaking into the microphone.

"Rest assure that the contents would be made known to everyone. Personally I couldn't believe the-"

Athrun had snatched the microphone away from Yunna and promptly turned it off. He wasn't sure what was going on but he knew having an audience would not help matters.

"What the hell are you doing?" Athrun demanded, his emerald eyes flashing.

Yunna merely smirked as he replied,

"Didn't you know Zala?"

Athrun glared at him, Yunna knew something. Something that he didn't know, and he didn't like it one bit. But he wasn't going to give Yunna the satisfaction of knowing that.

"What's there to know? All I know is that you can't take defeat like a man," Athrun shot.

"Athrun…" Mwu said warningly, he was aware that the officials were there, though their attention seemed to be diverted to the contents of the envelope.

"Yunna, what is the meaning of this?" A new voice interrupted.

Yunna smiled widely. "Coach!" he said excitedly. "Take a look at the pictures and tell me what you see."

The coach gave Yunna a weird look before taking a peek at the pictures.

His eyes widened with shock as Yunna was swelling inside. His plan was going accordingly.

Nothing could go wrong.

* * *

Cagalli felt herself shaking with fear as she watched them approached the table; Yunna was still speaking into the microphone.

What would her teammates do when they found out that she's a girl? Shit…the whole of ZAFT is going to hate her for making them lose the championship title. She glanced anxiously at the Emirates stand, she saw her cousin and the twins sitting there motionless, their eyes transfixed on the Officials' table and she could see fear in their faces. Did that mean that they didn't get it in time? The envelope was still with Yunna! He still had the bloody evidence with him!

_No! _Cagalli thought frantically _I cannot be discovered! I'll be damn before that happens! No! I worked too hard and too long for this. I am not going down this way!_

Ignoring the rationale part of her brain, she made a lunge forward and was about to run to the table when she felt a hand grabbing her arm. Twisting around, she saw Shinn shaking his head. He gave a hard tug on her arm, causing her to stumble backwards.

"Shinn! Let me go! You don't understand! I have to get that envelope!" Cagalli hissed angrily.

Shinn gave her a hard stare, "Don't be rash, wait and see."

Cagalli stared at him in disbelief. Wait and see? _Wait and see? _How in the world is she going to stand there and watched her secret told to the world? Wait and see? Is Shinn for real? Since when did he become the mature and level-headed one?

"No Shinn! I will not _freaking _wait and see," Cagalli rebuked, her voice sounding desperate. "ZAFT is not going to lose because of me!"

Shinn tightened his grip on her as she began to struggle against it. Her heart was pounding against her chest, her mind whirling. She was at her wits end. In desperation, she bit his hand. Startled, Shinn let go and Cagalli immediately bolted.

"Kira!"

Cagalli let out a short cry as Kira grabbed her from the back. The rest of the boys had turned when they heard Cagalli's cry. They were perplexed as to why their teammates were restraining Caleb.

"Caleb…Cagalli, relax," Kira whispered urgently into her ear.

Shinn appeared before her, his hands pressing down firmly on her shoulders as her head snapped up. Her wild topaz eyes meeting the fiery red ones, her eyes moved to look over his shoulder. She stopped struggling. The officials were taking out the contents and she saw the rectangular white pieces in their hands.

It was over. Kayla didn't get to it in time. ZAFT is going to lose the title and it would be all her fault.

She closed her eyes, unable to watch the scene any longer.

* * *

"What is she doing?" Cheryl hissed to her two companions, they tore their eyes away from the table to where Cheryl was indicating.

They saw Cagalli struggling to get to the official table, but she was held back by two guys.

"She's going to ruin everything if she gets there!" Charlene said worriedly.

Kayla clenched her fists, her eyes on her cousin.

_Cagalli…_

* * *

"What's the meaning of this?" one of the three officials demanded, for some reasons he looked offended.

"Meaning?" Yunna repeated, were the officials as dense as the ZAFT captain?

"Sir, I think it's all self-explanatory…"

"Self…explanatory?" Another official asked his eyebrows rising.

"Yes, yes, self-explanatory," Yunna repeated impatiently, was it that difficult to comprehend that Cagalli was pretending to be a boy in ZAFT?

"Mr Seiran, I do not know what games you're playing at, but I'm not amused," the other official said coldly.

Yunna stared at him, huh? What in the world-

"Games? Didn't you see the pictures? Can't you see the resemblance? It's against the rules! I'm trying to uphold the integrity of the game! The ZAFT team ought to be disqualified!" Yunna said fiercely.

"Um…Yunna…" The Emirates Coach started.

"Coach!" Yunna said gleefully. Finally someone to back his claim! " I swear the pictures aren't photoshopped! Surely you see the resemblance?"

The Coach gave Yunna a look. "I see them alright," he said finally, "unfortunately."

Yunna positively shone. It's all over! There's no way that bitch or ZAFT would weasel their way out of this!

"Now gentlemen! You have to disqualify them!" he said dramatically, pointing his finger to Athrun, who looked murderous. "They're a sham to _Men's _volleyball!"

"A sham?!" The one who was glaring at Yunna echoed, his face was turning red. "They are not the sham! You are! Are you trying to make a fool out of us?!"

He ended his outburst by throwing the pictures on the table which Athrun and Mwu leaned forward to see.

Neither could believe their eyes nor could Yunna as well.

Athrun let out a short laugh before turning to Yunna who was sputtering out incoherent words.

"T-That's n-not the pictures! I-I don't know what happened! Where is it? It was inside! The cardholder! With the photos and…The black…with the pink 'C' and the pictures! Wh-?" Yunna was protesting thickly, his mind unable to comprehend how the pictures turned out this way! He saw them! He _freaking_ saw the pictures with his own eyes! No one else knows about the pictures!

"If it's any consolation, you looked a hell lot better wet and drunk," Athrun said smirking. "Although I would refrain for imitating an Olympic dive if I were you."

Yunna's eyes flashed. "At least I can tell a girl from a boy!" He retorted.

Athrun rolled his eyes at him, he was getting exasperated. "What are you talking about now?"

Yunna snorted. "You're so dense! You didn't even realise that one of your teammate is a girl!"

"Haven't you had enough yet?" Athrun said coolly.

Yunna let out a manic laugh. "Caleb Yula! He's a freaking girl! Caleb Yula is Cagalli Yula Athha! Former's Emirates _girls'_ captain for the volleyball team! Did she really think that by turning her _blonde_ hair brown she can fool everyone?!"

Yunna pointed towards the ZAFT team and said loudly, "Coach! Look at that guy! Don't tell me you don't recognised Cagalli! It's her, I swear!"

Yunna wasn't about to give up, sure his proof was gone, but Cagalli was still there! He could still prove that he was telling the truth! He could still salvage whatever is left of his dignity.

The Emirates coach looked over, his eyes widening, he did resemble Cagalli. The face features, the physique. The only difference was the hair colour; even from the way that guy was standing.

The person looked up and he let out a gasp. No way…How many times had he seen Cagalli with that look in her eyes? The fierce and the determined look she had whenever she was talking to her team before the match? Or when he told her that that the girls team had been disbanded? It was indeed Cagalli.

What the hell is she doing in the ZAFT team? And how did she improve so much in such a short span of time?

He could feel excitement rising inside him, if Cagalli was exposed it would be all over for ZAFT, Emirates would be crowned champions this year.

But then,

He frowned; the other coaches would never let him forget that he won it by _default_ and not by defeating the opposing team. He would be forever branded as the coach who won because _of a girl…_No, even worse.

He was afraid that a girl that may defeat his team.

His decision was made for him by his pride.

If Cagalli wants to run with the boys, who was he to stop her? He'll show her why little princess shouldn't mess with the big boys.

"Yunna, that is not Cagalli. That guy merely shared some distinct features, that's all. You should get your eyes checked," the coach said deprecatingly.

Yunna's jaw dropped. Is the coach serious? It's so obvious that that is Cagalli! Why was he denying it?

"Huh? It's so obvious that it's her! Get her here and I'll prove it to you!" Yunna shouted desperately. No, he will not be made a fool here!

"Yunna, that's enough! Are you trying to embarrass me? Haven't you done that with those obscene pictures of yours?" he thundered.

Yunna was speechless; this was not how he envisioned it. In his head, he would be holding the trophy and Cagalli would be bawling her pretty eyes out while ZAFT rained insults at her.

"B-But…it _is _her. I-I swear," he protested lamely.

His coach gave him a hard look. "Seiran, enough of this nonsense. We still have a match to play."

With that he turned and walked away, leaving Yunna alone there. He knew that Yunna had already lost his credibility, nothing he says will be taken as truth.

Yunna realised that he was standing alone; he let out a growl as he shot his opponent a dirty look. He knew that it was over.

"I'm telling the truth Zala, it's for your own good. Your teammate had been lying to you all this while. Are you still going to trust her? After she had betrayed you?"

Athrun said nothing but merely hardened his look. It was all the answer Yunna needed.

"Don't say I never warn you Zala," he said before walking away with what small shard of dignity he had left.

"Athrun…"

His head snapped up as Mwu was telling him to return.

"Coach…he…they…"

"I…I think so Athrun," Mwu replied quietly. He had seen the way his counterpart had reacted when he saw Caleb or rather _Cagalli_. His eyes had widened and he had gasped as though…_he had recognised her._

But of some unknown reasons, he had denied it. Mwu could only hope that this stroke of brilliant luck would not have some unforeseen consequences.

Athrun did not say anything as his head was replaying the events that just happened. He had became suspicious when Yunna said - 'Black…pink 'C''…he vaguely remembered seeing something similar on his study table…and pictures…Caleb had lost his-no _her_ cardholder with the pictures and she had been searching franctically that day in the alleyway. There was no way Yunna could have known that, unless…he was telling the truth. Of course he had toyed with the idea that it was all made up but then…Yunna was not that smart to come up with that, and of all reasons to get ZAFT disqualify, he had picked this? A girl masquerading as a boy?

It wasn't Yunna style. His is the steroid framing- fake injury-sabotage-kind of bastard. And…

His eyes widened, he remembered his last encounter with Yunna after their match with Heliopolis, Caleb-no Cagalli had been acting out of it, her playing had been terrible. And Yunna was there watching the match, could she had been…she must have…

All this time…

"Athrun…" Mwu said when they neared their team. "Not a word about this. We can't afford to have them lose their focus."

Athurn nodded numbly. "Of course," his voice sounded strange.

Caleb Yula was girl…why?

Why was his heart burning so terribly? Why was he feeling as though everything he had known, believed in, had…was gone?

Why?

* * *

Cagalli was scrutinising them when they returned, but she could not tell what happened. She had seen Yunna pointing frantically in her direction and her coach had glanced her way and they had made eye contact. She was sure that he had recognised her.

But she knew her secret was safe since she was not approached and ZAFT was still in the running for the championships.

"What was that all about?" Dearka asked.

Mwu hesitated before replying, "Yunna decided to show the officials his _wonderful_ diving abilities, but I must say, I have seen much better belly flops attempts."

The team laughed, boy what would they give to take a look at those pictures!

Cagalli laughed, she felt relief. Maybe she had been worried over nothing. She took a glance at Athrun, her laughter died.

He wasn't laughing, in fact he looked serious. Suddenly Cagalli felt there was more than just what Mwu had let on. Athrun caught her eyes; she felt her heart thumped as the corners of her lips twitched upwards into a small smile.

Athrun stared at her, his green eyes intense. He looked away; he couldn't see her right now. His emotions were all over the place.

Cagalli felt the smile froze on her face, something was bothering Athrun. She wanted to delve deeper but she knew this wasn't the right time. She still had a championship to win; she could worry about Athrun later.

"Ok boys! We still have a championship to win! Last line up, Zala, Yamato, Elsman, Asuka, Joule and…" Mwu paused. He knew who the last one was. Cagalli stared at him; surely he wasn't going to leave her out of the line up?

"…Yula," he said finally. It didn't matter if Caleb is a girl. All that he knows is that, if a player can play then the player ought to play, regardless of gender. And that girl is good.

"Now get out there and bring me back the trophy!" Mwu roared.

The team replied with a resounding – "ZAFT Knights! GO!"

* * *

The three girls in the stands heaved a huge sigh of relief, disaster had been averted. For a second there, they thought that their plan may not work when their ex-coach looked up and saw Cagalli. Of course, they have gloated at the horrified expression on Yunna's face when he discovered that pictures were no more, instead he was staring at his horrendous attempt to dive off a diving board, intoxicated. It was not one of his glorious moments. Charlene had taken it for future blackmailing, who knew it would be the best decision ever?

"Final match," Cheryl said wistfully as her other companions agreed, their eyes fixed on the match that was about to began.

* * *

Athrun took the first serve, his mind emptied of everything except for this match. His eyes unknowingly wandered to Cagalli. _Ca-ga-li _that name sounds so foreign in his mind. He shook his head; he has a championship title to defend and a reputation to uphold.

The whistle rang as Athrun served the ball over; Hiro had managed to dig underneath it and passed to his teammate. The atmosphere was tense and was pregnant with anticipation. If ZAFT took this set then they will take home the title. It was make or break for Emirates, this set will determine if they still have a shot at the championships or their journey ends here.

In second place.

Kayla cheered silently when ZAFT took the first point. 24 more to go. 24 more to go for ZAFT to take the trophy. 24 more points to go to prove that girls are just as good as boys. Kayla took in a shuddering breath together with the ZAFT player who was taking the serve.

It will all be over in 24 points.

* * *

Cagalli was fired up, the final match was going on and she was giving it her all. No slip ups, no mistakes. It has to be flawless. Yunna she noticed was shooting her glares throughout the match. She didn't know why nor does she care about it. All that mattered was for her to bring home the gold.

She moved sideways and felt the ball hitting the insides of her arms before turning it over to Shinn. Cagalli's eyes were riveted on the ball, her body moving constantly, waiting to catch the ball. The ball returned to ZAFT at breakneck speed, Dearka caught it and the ball was send back after Yzak had spiked it over. Yunna raced under it, ignoring his teammate who was already poised to dig underneath it. His teammate stared at him when he missed the ball, what was he doing?

ZAFT cheered but with caution. It was still early in the game and it could still swing either ways.

Now it was Cagalli's turn to serve the ball. Dribbling a few times like she always does, she looked at the opposing team. Blocking out the loud cheers from the stands she threw the ball up and jumped. Her right arm rose up before she brought it down. Her hand made contact with the ball and it rocketed through the air. She didn't bother to see where it went or who caught it. She was only concerned where it was going to land in her court.

* * *

This was their last chance.

The last chance for Emirates to prove themselves. They were already performing better than last year, but it wasn't enough.

They wanted the gold. They wanted to shove it those arrogant ZAFT scums' faces. They were fighting hard.

The set was already halfway through. The score?

16-13

ZAFT was ahead by three points.

It was not impossible to catch up, the gap was still small. They just got to keep their head in the game.

However, coolness was not their best asset. Their captain was playing rashly and impulsively, already he had lost them precious points. Natural to say, the rest of the team was fuming and desperate. They had no idea what had gotten into him, all they know what that after he had made the announcement he was losing his head. Whatever it was, must have affected him badly. But if you're a professional, you should know better than to bring personal emotions into the court.

Someone ought to tell that stupid idiot about professionalism.

An Emirates player took the serve after having scored a point. He took in a deep breath, trying to stop his irritation from hindering his abilities. His eyes focused as the ball shot up into air, he took a flying jump and the ball went over the net to his opponents.

ZAFT was shouting at each other, communicating is the key to winning. They did it so well that the players know where to stand and where to send the ball to even before someone opened their mouth.

Of course Emirates were communicating, but it was slightly different.

"What the hell?"

"I told you, I'll get it!"

"Why didn't you get it?!"

Their coach was not helping much either, in fact the players rather he shut up. His scolding and half-baked advices were ruffling their feathers in the wrong way. It was such a stark contrast to the ZAFT coach.

A whistle rang; Emirates had called for a time-out at 20-15.

They were five points away for losing the set and the match. They needed drastic strategy change to turn the tables in their favour.

But, you could see it in their eyes, the dullness reflected in them. They knew that deep down inside who was going home the victors.

But they were not going to give up just yet.

* * *

Cagalli was jumping up and down from excitement. She could feel it; it was coursing through her entire body.

ZAFT was so gonna win the trophy.

She saw it in her teammates' faces. They were glowing and their eyes shining.

They were five points away from sweeping the set and the match.

Mwu couldn't keep his grin off his face, "I'm not going to say anything. You all know what to do. Enjoy the remaining game. On three! One, two, three!…ZAFT KNIGHTS! CHAMPS!"

It was not a morale boost, it was the fact.

ZAFT _is _the champions.

* * *

Fifteen minutes. That was all the time it took.

Emirates put up a valiant effort, after their captain had been benched. The final score was a respectable 25-20.

Emirates could return home with their head held high. They were not sore losers, except for their captain.

It had been a spectacular game. Cagalli had scored the last point. The ball had come towards Athrun who dug underneath it and the ball changed direction to the right where Kira was waiting. Cagalli knew that he was going to send it to her; she was in his direction of fire and the one nearest to the net.

Sure enough, the ball was heading towards her; the crowd was silent as they waited with batted breaths.

This was it.

Cagalli felt her heart pounding furiously as she leapt high into the air. She let out a shout when she spiked the ball with all the ferocity she could mustered. She screamed louder when she heard the sweet sound of ball hitting the wooden floor.

It was all over.

The six players were lost in a tangle of arms and drowning in deafening screams and cheers. Euphoria was spreading fast through the crowd.

Cagalli's heart was overflowing with joy and pride. She had done it! She was beyond ecstatic.

In a matter of seconds, the court was filled with screaming people wanting to congratulate the winning team. In the midst of the crowd and hands raining down on the players, Cagalli spotted three beaming faces. The three she owed it to.

Cagalli squeezed her way through to meet them. They were immensely proud of her.

Cagalli threw her arms around them and burst into tears of joy. "Thank you…thank you…" she repeated endlessly, her voice thick with joy.

The four of them were hugging each other. They could finally breathe freely, it was all over. All over. The charade was ending. Cagalli had finally gotten what she had set out to achieve.

She laughed when Cheryl whispered the coach and the captain's reactions to her and Charlene promised to show her the pictures of their priceless expressions.

Cagalli felt someone nudging her and she turned to see Athrun's smiling face a short distance from her. Her heart jumped and swelled, she felt lighter. She could finally tell him. Athrun held the trophy high above his head as a fresh wave of cheer erupted around them. Cagalli beamed brightly, it was really happening. She had really-no _they_ had really gotten the gold.

She will never forget this moment. Ever.

* * *

YES!!! The volleyball action is finally over! And…Athrun knows -dum dum dummm-…oh no! What now?

Ok I changed the part where Yunna realised that the photos were gone to include the description of the cardholder cuz I realised that it's a bit too 'iffy' to have Athrun deduced all that based on assumptions without any evidence…

Haha review and tell me what you think of this chapter? You'll make me so happy!:D

Coolios (Thks for reading!)


	18. Chapter 18: Tell me, tell me, tttell me

Hello readers!!! Chapter 18 is finally up!! Hooray! (hehe if you hadn't notice, I'm going through a kpop phase haha:D)

Thank you for all your reviews! I really love receiving them! And a special thanks to Thaila Airla who helped my proof-read this chapter cuz I was too lazy to re-read the whole chapter! Thankyou girl!!!:D

Gundam SEED does not belong to moi!

Inspired(not so much) by the Shakespearean play - Twelfth Night or (more) Hana Kimi or (is there still any trace of it??!!!)She's the man all jumble together:)

ENJOY!!!:))) This chapter is loooong!!!

* * *

"We have to tell her," Mwu said to Athrun in the noisy celebratory locker room. Athrun hesitated.

"Now?"

Mwu gave him a hard look. "Athrun, the sooner we settle this, the better. I know it seemed rather cruel to her as she did helped us a lot, but then if we let her stayed on, the likelihood that her secret would be revealed would increased and I'm sure you know the consequences of that," Mwu said heavily. He never liked playing the bad guy, but someone has to do it.

Athrun was silent as he looked at the happy faces of his teammates, there was no way he would let them down. He knew what he had to do.

"I-I'll do it," he said.

Mwu stared at him in surprise, he had thought that he would be the one breaking the news to her; after all she was Athrun's friend. He didn't think that Athrun would have the heart to break such horrid news to her. Clearly, he was wrong.

"Are you sure about this?"

Athrun nodded. He felt that it would be better if she heard it from him rather than the coach.

"Alright Athrun, but let me warn you that you have to do it soon. This cannot be dragged on any further,"

Athrun turned to look at his coach, his green eyes hooded.

Mwu studied his expression; somehow he felt that there was more to the situation than he had initially thought. "Three days, Athrun. That's all I'm giving you."

And with that he left Athrun standing in the corner of the room. Athrun looked at his teammates and how exhilarated they were. He should be in the middle of it all, celebrating with them. But for once, he didn't felt like joining in.

* * *

It was the day after ZAFT had won the title, euphoria was still running high in ZAFT. Everywhere small parties could be seen, and the teachers had given up teaching for today after seeing how distracted their students were in their lessons. It was an unofficial school holiday declared by the students themselves.

Cagalli however, was not part of that celebration. She was pacing in her dorm room with a very important thought on her mind. How to break the news to Athrun.

So far all her ideas stank.

"Hey Athrun, guess what?...I'm a girl!...surprise?!"

Cagalli groaned at that, it was so awkward.

"Athrun, do you know something funny? The person you have been sleeping with for the past-"

Wait…that sounded really, really wrong.

No…or maybe she should leave some of her girly items lying around discreetly, like a bra or pink underwear…

Oh right, she don't own a pink underwear…hmmm…maybe Lacus would lend her one. Cagalli rolled her eyes, and then she would act shocked when Athrun discovered said items and she'll say,

"Oops! That's embarrassing! I can't believe I left that lying around! And yes Athrun, I'm a girl!"

"Oh my god!" Cagalli let out a frustrated sound. This was so hard! Everything she came up with sounded so stupid or end up making her look like some kind of perverted maniac!

Just then the door opened and Cagalli felt herself froze as she slowly turned to see who came in.

"Caleb, why are standing there?" Oh freak, Cagalli felt her heart starting to pound. Ever since the volleyball match ended, her feminine side came out with a vengeance causing her to act like one of Athrun's fan girls, blushing and staring at him. Cagalli was so irritated at herself for acting like a complete fool, but she couldn't help it. Athrun was just so…

'Caleb?" Cagalli blinked, oh right. Athrun was expecting an answer.

"Um…nothing," she said foolishly as she walked to her side of the room, trying not to further humiliate herself.

Athrun dismissed his roommate's strange behaviour as he went to his own side and took out a book. Cagalli cocked her head to one side trying to see the title. Her jaw dropped when she read the cover.

_Twelfth Night__  
by  
William Shakespeare_

Even the Literature Gods was screaming at her to spill her secret.

"I-I didn't know we were studying Shakespeare in English lit?" she asked nervously.

Athrun peered at her from the side of his book; Cagalli was sitting on her bed, her legs over the side, facing him. Athrun was lying on his bed, his back leaning against the wall.

"We aren't. I was in the library just now and I saw this book and was intrigued by its synopsis," he said casually.

Cagalli swallowed as Athrun went back reading the play. It struck her as peculiar that Athrun would read for leisure, for as long as she known him (four months and counting…) she had never seen him read a novel. Silence lapsed in the room, except for the flipping of the pages and the sound of laughter coming from outside, students were playing and celebrating outside.

_Just tell him! C'mon Cagalli! You can do this! Just tell him! It's not that difficult. Just say – 'Athrun, I'm a girl.' See! It's that simple! Four words only! C'mon for the love of all that is good! Just say it!!_

But somehow Cagalli couldn't force the words out of her mouth.

"You know, this book is really quite interesting. It's about a girl pretending to be a boy; do you think that would ever happen in real life?"

Athrun's sudden question caught Cagalli off guard. Her mouth dropped as she stared wordlessly at Athrun whose attention was still on the book. Was she supposed to answer him? How the hell was she going to reply him?

"Yes, it does happen in real-life. You're staring at one such example. Athrun, the truth is that I'm a girl pretending to be boy and I liked you. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, would you forgive me?" That was all that she had to say, Athrun had already given her the best opening topic sentence for her to spill her secret. But why? Why couldn't she tell him? It was so unlike her to be tongue-tied and so unsure of herself. The Cagalli Yula Athha she knows was a kick-ass, confidence-oozing and smooth-talking girl. Where had that girl gone to? And who was this stammering, blushing girl in her place?

At that moment, Athrun turned to her. He put down his book beside him, he was expecting her reply.

'Well? What do you think?" he asked, swinging his legs over the bed so that he was facing Cagalli face-to-face.

"I think that would be rather interesting, don't you think so, Caleb?" Athrun continued his emerald eyes boring into her amber orbs.

Cagalli licked her dry lips as she nodded numbly.

Athrun stared at her, his eyes searching as he said, "Do you have anything to tell me? Cause you looked like you do."

What was Athrun doing? Why was he acting like he knew something she was not telling? He was practically interrogating her! It was too much; she needed to get out of there.

She stood up abruptly as she looked down at Athrun whose eyes were still fixed on her.

"I-I, Athrun…"she stammered. Athrun stood up and crossed the small space that separated them. Cagalli took a shaky step backwards; Athrun was coming so close to her that it was scaring her slightly.

"You don't have to be afraid of me," he breathed, his face inches from hers. Cagalli could feel his warm breath on her face; it took all of her willpower to not collapse right there.

_Oh! Just tell him already! _Her mind screamed.

"A-Athrun, I-"

She looked up to meet his emerald eyes, the rest of her sentence died in her throat. His eyes. They- they were so_ intense_, they were practically smouldering with that much intensity. They held so much conflict in them, so much desperation, that it intimidated her. The fact that his eyes were so near to hers did little to help the situation.

She was gripped by a sudden overwhelming fear; it was as though all her defences, all her reassurances to her worries had suddenly gone up in smoke by those blazing emerald eyes. What if Athrun never wanted to see her again? What if Athrun yelled at her? What if Athrun never saw her that way? Would she be able to live with that? Would she ever get over him? Could she stand never being near to him again? Could she stand not being his friend? His confident? If she told him the truth, everything would change. She would no longer be Caleb Yula. She would revert back to Cagalli Yula Athha.

A life without Athrun Zala in it would mean nothing to her.

"I-I'm sorry! I'm so sorry Athrun!" her voice cracking at the last part, she was suffocating under his intense gaze.

She bolted out the room, running away blindly, leaving Athrun alone.

He turned at the sound of the door slam, he sighed as he looked at the wooden door. Letting out another sigh and running his fingers through his hair, he looked at the book on his bed.

Was it that difficult to tell him?

* * *

Cagalli stopped running once she was out of the dorm building, leaning forward trying to catch her breath she cursed herself inwardly.

What was wrong with her? She squatted down and buried her face in her hands, she didn't have a lot of time left in ZAFT, she let out a cry of anguish as she thought of the argument she had gotten into with her friends.

* * *

-Flashback-

"_Well…when are you coming back?" Cheryl asked, still beaming as the four of them stood at the outskirts of the court that was still swarming with people. _

_Cagalli blinked at her as she continued, "I mean you already accomplished what you set out to do which is to beat Emirates. There's no reason for you to stay on in ZAFT."_

_Charlene saw Cagalli's hesitant face and the slight guilty look in her eyes._

"_Cagalli, you're not planning on staying at ZAFT? Are you?"_

"_Um…of course not… I mean…" her voice trailed off._

_The twins exchanged surprised glances while Kayla studied Cagalli before saying to her,_

"_You can't stay on in ZAFT Cagalli," Kayla said. "Yunna's not going to let things go so easily. If you stay on…there would be dire consequences girl."_

_Cagalli looked at her cousin before laughing nervously, "Dire consequences? Kayla, you're making this sound so serious, I mean the match is over, there's nothing Yunna can do to change to outcome."_

_The three girls stared at her in disbelief._

"_Cagalli! Do you have any idea how close you came to be the bane of ZAFT? We barely escaped this with our necks intact!" Kayla exploded, her amber eyes flashing as she thrust the brown envelope towards Cagalli. _

_Cagalli opened the envelope slowly, letting out a small gasp as she scanned its contents, her cardholder with all the pictures was in it, together with ZAFT and Emirates school records of her. How did Yunna got hold of all these?_

'"_Now you see why you can't stay at ZAFT," Kayla said in forced calmness. "It's too dangerous!"_

"_D-dangerous?" she repeated, bewildered._

"_Haven't you wondered how the hell did that fool got such evidence, especially your _photos_?"_

_Cagalli's eyes widened, she was beginning to see the picture, and it wasn't pretty._

"_You suspect that it was someone from ZAFT?" _

_Kayla exchanged grim looks with the twins. "We didn't suspect, we _know_ it."_

"_You saw the whole thing? Why didn't you stop them there?" Cagalli cried, if they had done that she would have been spared the agony of thinking that her secret would be exposed._

"_Be logical Cagalli! Do you really expect us to rush out and stop them? If we done that, who knows what would happened once they realised that they couldn't expose you using the photos? At least we knew then what they were planning to do and we could stop it!" Kayla retorted._

_Cagalli frowned. "That person…the one who gave Yunna those evidence. Who was it?"_

_They shrugged before Charlene said, "We don't know. All we know it was a girl with short red hair about maybe our size? Does it sound familiar to you? Did you offend any girl while in ZAFT?"_

_Cagalli thought hard before shaking her head, she couldn't think of a girl that fit into that description that she had talked to. Which makes matters even more bizarre, why would a girl whom she had never talked to want to expose her?_

_Kayla sighed, "Then it would make ZAFT even more unsafe for you since we don't have any clue who that girl might be…"_

_Cagalli looked at the three of them, all wearing the same worried expressions._

"_C'mon, I don't think that girl is going to pull anymore stunts. The photos are already with us and ZAFT won...I mean ZAFT isn't as dangerous as you all make out to be."_

_Kayla gaped at her cousin, "Cagalli! Would you stop making this sound so…so _trivial?_ It's not! I don't think you fully understand the gravity of the situation here!"_

_Cagalli narrowed her eyes, "I understand it perfectly! I know why you all think that it's not safe. The masterminds are still running rampant but I can handle it. Trust me."_

"_Cagalli-" Cheryl started._

"_Argh! You're always like that! Thinking you can take on everything! But you can't, Cagalli! You can't! Sometimes you just have to accept that there are things you can't control!" Kayla shouted at her cousin, anger and hurt flashing through her eyes._

_Cagalli glared hard at her cousin, Kayla was wrong. She wasn't stupid, she knew that but…she didn't want to leave ZAFT. She didn't want to leave her new friends. Her brother….Athrun…She still have so many things to do in ZAFT. She wasn't about to leave just because of fear that her secret would be exposed, she could handle it._

"_Cagalli…"Cheryl pleaded. "Please try to understand where we're coming from. We're just all worried about you. Surely you don't want ZAFT to lose the trophy right? You worked so hard to defeat Emirates and to prove to out ex-coach that we're just as good as the boys. If you stay on in ZAFT, you'll lose everything. Cagalli, listen to us. Come back to Emirates."_

_Cagalli looked at the twins, their eyes held nothing but concern for her. They were genuinely afraid for her, her eyes softened as she reflected on their words. She knew that they were right; ZAFT was starting to get too dangerous of her to stay on. If she was to keep whatever she had now, she had to leave ZAFT. It was for the best, ZAFT will keep the trophy without any doubt and Yunna would never ever have another chance to blow her cover again. _

_But…it means that she won't be able to spend more time with Kira or even…Athrun. If she went back to Emirates, it would be like her time at ZAFT never happened. She would be forgotten, Athrun would move on. Her heart squeezed painfully at that thought. _

_No._

_She can't be selfish, if she stay on in ZAFT; her friends would suffer and she'll be damned if she let that happened. If leaving ZAFT would benefit everyone, she would do it even if it means forgoing time spend with Kira and Athrun._

"_Three days…give me three days. That's all I asked," Cagalli said softly._

_Her friends smiled as they hugged her. "We'll be waiting for you! We're going to hold a gigantic party to welcome you back!"_

_Cagalli smiled feebly as she nodded half-heartedly._

"_I'll come to pick you up on Saturday at noon," Kayla said._

_Cagalli smiled at her cousin, Kayla offering to pick her up was her way of saying sorry. _

"_See you then Kayla," Cagalli answered back._

-end of flashback-

* * *

Cagalli sighed as she stood up, she had already submitted her withdrawal form and she was waiting for the confirmation on it. She didn't have the heart to tell her friends about her leaving ZAFT, she figured that it would better if they found out after she had left; it would save her a lot of trouble. In two days time, Caleb Yula would vanish from this world.

"C'mon Cagalli, you only have two days left. Just tell him that you're a girl and that you like him! What's the worst that could happen? Even if he rejected you," she cringed at that word. "You probably won't see him again, you have nothing to lose."

Nothing to lose? Yeah right. How about her heart breaking into two?

"Argh! This is so ridiculous!" she grumbled.

"What's ridiculous?" a voice asked. Cagalli turned and gave a small start before relaxing.

It was just Kira.

She smiled as Kira took position beside her, leaning against the white-washed dorm building. Oh…she has to tell Kira that she's leaving.

"Kira…I'm leaving,"

Kira looked at her quizzically. "Where are you going?"

"I-I'm going back. To Emirates," she said in a small voice. "It's too dangerous for me to stay in ZAFT because…" Cagalli filled him on the reasons why and also the events that happened during the final match.

"Ah, I see," Kira said wistfully. "Everyone's going to miss you, you know."

Cagalli gave a bitter smile, "They'll get over it, besides I don't have any reason to stay on in ZAFT."

Kira turned to look at his sister, a wry smile on his face.

"No other reason? How about a certain Mr Athrun Zala?"

Cagalli's cheeks flamed at his name, but she refused to let Kira have the satisfaction to see her uncomfortable.

'Shut up Kira," she said warningly.

Kira chuckled, "When are you going to tell him anyway?"

At this Cagalli sighed, thinking of her disastrous attempt to tell Athrun about it.

"I take it that you tried?"

"I don't want to talk about it," she said dryly.

Kira's interest was piped. He was curious as to how it went.

"C'mon, let's hear it," he persuaded slightly.

"No Kira," Cagalli shook her head. "It was horrible; I couldn't even get a proper sentence out."

"Really? Well that doesn't seemed like you? You're turning into one of those Athrun's fan girls," Kira teased.

Cagalli flinched at his words; she was NOT one of _Athrun's fan girls_. She was not a mindless worshipper of all things that is Athrun Zala.

"Let's get something straight, I am not a fan girl. Was not, am not and never will be. Are we clear?"

Kira nodded, trying to hide his smile. "So do you need my help?"

Cagalli shook her head, "No, I can handle telling him my secret. I…I just need some time. After all, I don't exactly go around confessing to guys…not to mention my _amazing_ taste in boys…" she shut up abruptly, she hadn't realised that she was babbling. She really hoped that Kira didn't catch the last part. The last thing she wanted to discuss was her wonderful taste in boys.

Unfortunately luck was not with her, "What do you mean by 'amazing taste in boys'?" Kira questioned.

"N-nothing," she said hastily, trying to think of another topic to talk about.

But Kira was not to give up easily, especially on such a scandalous and juicy topic – His sister's Ex-boyfriends.

"C'mon it can't be that bad, I mean look at all the boys that Lacus went out before. Surely, it can't be worse."

Cagalli gave her brother a look before saying,

"Kira, my last boyfriend was the purple-headed, belly flopping wonder, captain that we just beat the crap out of at yesterday match," Cagalli said in a voice laced with sarcasm.

Kira stared blankly at Cagalli, while she braced for the yelling and shouts of disbeliefs from her brother. But what came next took her by surprise.

He _laughed_. Kira laughed, and it's not those chuckling or polite laughing. It was those bending over, slapping your thighs, tears streaming out of your eyes, loud and strong laughing. Cagalli stared at her half-crazed brother, her patience waning.

Was it really that funny?

"N-No, seriously. Who was your ex-boyfriend?" Kira wheezed out, clutching his stomach and wiping tears from his eyes. He was still chuckling.

Cagalli glared angrily at him, he thinks that she is lying? Her face grew hot; she was so humiliated and insulted.

"Do I look like I'm kidding?" She said in a controlled voice.

Kira blinked at her, registering the fuming girl in front of him and the complete lack ofamusement around her.

"O-Oh, y-you were serious? O-_oh,_" Kira felt so awkward, he didn't expected that. "Um…"

"If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it," she seethed in fury.

Kira kept quiet for a while, this was huge news. He would never in a million years have expected this.

"Are you sure you're not kidding? I mean Yunna? How did _that _happened?" He couldn't help himself, he had to know.

Cagalli glowered at him; she had never felt so embarrassed and angry in her life. "Drop it Kira! I dated that idiot, we broke up. End of story. You better shut up about this matter if not be prepared to wake up in sewer with nothing but a toothbrush and the clothes on your back," Cagalli threatened.

Kira blinked at her, "Why a toothbrush?" he asked innocently. "Can't it be a handphone instead?"

Cagalli felt her face twitched as she threw hands up in frustration. "That's it! I'm not talking to you!" With that she stalked back into the building.

Kira laughed silently, his sister was so fun to tease. "Cagalli! C'mon, I was just joking!"

Cagalli was muttering curses under her breath when Kira caught up to her. "I'm sorry Cagalli, I didn't mean to make fun of you. I promised I would never tease you about it again, well maybe not never…" His voice faltered at the death glare he was receiving from his sister. "Scratch the last part. I would never tease you about it." He nodded vigorously.

Cagalli rolled her eyes as she waved a dismissing hand at him. "Fine, fine. Whatever. You're lucky to have such a forgiving sister like me," The corners of her mouth twitched slightly upwards.

Kira bit back his retort; he didn't think she would very much appreciate his witty comebacks. He smiled as he said, "Yes, I'm the luckiest brother in the entire world to have you as a sister."

Cagalli let out a small laugh as they continued walking in a comfortable silence.

"I'm really going to miss you Cagalli," Kira said suddenly as they neared their rooms.

Cagalli looked at him in surprise; Kira was smiling serenely at her, she could feel her heart swelling.

"Same here Kira," she replied quietly. "I wish you were coming to Emirates with me. Kayla would love to meet you properly."

"Kayla?" Kira frowned.

'Oh that's right! You don't know about her! She's the girl that 'kidnapped' me from the locker room yesterday? Black hair with gold streaks, orange eyes?"

Cagalli watched as Kira recalled the girl. "Oh! I remembered! But why would she want to meet me?"

Cagalli chuckled as she answered, "She's our cousin! Duh!"

'M-My cousin?" Kira said unsurely, it sounded so foreign to say that and knowing that it is true. He never had a cousin before since his parents did not have any siblings. But now, he has a cousin, which means he has aunts and uncles too! He was part of a big family; he couldn't help but feel a bubble of excitement rising inside him. For the first time in his life, he had relatives.

Cagalli smiled as she watched Kira's amethyst eyes shine and his wide grin. Maybe it was time to push things further.

"Would you like to meet the whole family? Dad's coming back this weekend and he usually brings me out for lunch. Join us?" Cagalli asked. Kira's face fell by a fraction and Cagalli's smile drooped exponentially. Maybe this was too fast.

"I-It's ok if you don't want to, I mean, I'm sure you're still adjusting to the fact that um…I'm sorry. Forget about what I say, I'm just glad that I've found you," Cagalli smiled brightly hiding the fact that she was actually disappointed on the inside.

Kira looked at the smiling girl beside him, he knew Cagalli was lying; her eyes gave too much away. They were not smiling, they were dull. He hesitated, he didn't want to disappoint his sister, but was he really ready to meet his biological father? Was it a good idea for them to meet? Did he really want to meet the person who gave him up?

Cagalli seeing the conflict in his face squeezed his hand and smiled encouragingly at him. "Someone has to take the first step, Kira."

Kira smiled thinly, "We usually go to _Din Tai Fung_ for their _Sunday noon_ special. Dad loves Chinese food and we usually go to the one in Central Orb," Cagalli said as she stared at her dorm door.

Kira blinked at Cagalli in shock, before smiling, his sister was something alright as he looked at her fondly. Before he knew what he was doing, he was leaning down and engulfing her in a hug. Cagalli gave a small squeal of surprise at being embraced.

"Whatever happens, I'm really glad that you came to ZAFT Cagalli," Kira said softly. Cagalli smiled as she hugged her brother back.

"Me too, Kira," she said quietly.

_Click!_

Her eyes widened as she immediately pulled herself out of the hug, but it was too late. He had already seen them locked in each other arms.

His eyes had widened at the scene in front of him, his hand still on the door knob as he took in the embarrassed looks on his roommate's face.

The three of them stood rooted in their positions, none daring to be the first to break the volatile silence.

'"Um…" Cagalli began her face flushing as she looked at Athrun's face. His green eyes were guarded, his face impassive. This wasn't good, he was angry.

Kira sensing Cagalli's discomfort cleared his throat as he grinned at his best friend.

"It's not what you think Athrun; you know I don't swing that way. I don't know about Caleb here…"

Cagalli's head twisted to her right as she gaped in horror at what Kira was implying.

"I-I'm not! I-I," she stuttered, this was bad. This was really bad. "Don't talk nonsense Kira!"

Kira chuckled at his sister's horrified expression.

"You don't have to explain anything to me Kira," a cool voice said.

The twins turned to face Athrun, any trace of light-heartedness disappeared.

Athrun was refusing to meet any of their gazes, preferring to look down the hallway. His grip on the doorknob increased, the brief image of them hugging right in front of his eyes burned worst then the time he saw her and Shinn in the stairwell that day.

'Caleb here seemed to have a knack in being caught in rather promiscuous positions," his voice bitter and spiteful.

"Huh? W-what do you mean?" Cagalli asked, not knowing if she really wanted to hear the answer.

Athrun cursed inwardly, he hadn't meant to say that or sound so resentful. It just came out without him knowing. He didn't know why but he was fuming, he couldn't remember the last time he had gotten so rile up, and over a girl as well. Wait, no. A girl _pretending_ to be boy. What was wrong with him?

"Nothing, I was thinking about something else," he said forcefully, he then took a step forward, attempting to walk past them. He froze in mid tracks when he felt a hand encircling his wrist, sending a jolt down his spine.

He turned to see Cagalli's blazing eyes. "You're angry," she stated flatly.

_Of course I'm angry! I just found out 24 hours ago that my roommate, my friend whom I thought was a boy turned out to be girl! Not to mention I just caught her all wrapped up in my _best friend_'s arms! Oh no! I'm just expressing _extreme happiness!He thought furiously, he would never say that to her. He was a mediator not an instigator. He was Athrun Zala. Cool, calm and collected.

He would never get angry over such a minor thing. Yes, he would not yell at a girl whom he had been spilling to, confiding in for the last four months. He took in a deep cool breath trying to douse the fury that was brewing inside him.

"I'm not angry Caleb," he lied, his voice trembling slightly with cold fury. "What you do does not concern me."

Athrun then shook her hand off harshly and walked away, never looking back.

Cagalli stared at his disappearing silhouette; she wanted to run after him and wrapped her arms around him, never letting him go. But she didn't, she couldn't.

"Cagalli?"

"H-he's furious Kira," she said miserably.

Kira frowned, Athrun was acting rather strange. In all the years he had known him, he had never seen Athrun so angry before, sure he didn't explode like Yzak. But Kira could tell that he was suppressing his anger, but he couldn't figured out why he so angry. It can't be because of the hug he saw right? Athrun wasn't gay. Unless…Kira's eyes widened at the possibility that Athrun had somehow found out, He shook his head the minute it crossed his mind. Even if Athrun knew, he wouldn't be so angry about it. It didn't make sense.

"Kira…" Cagalli's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He turned to see Cagalli still staring at where Athrun had disappeared to, she looked so defeated and dare he say broken-hearted.

"Don't worry Cagalli, he'll cool down. It probably wasn't anything major. Maybe he finally found out that Dearka had been secretly taking photos of him showering and selling them to his fan girls," Kira said sniggering.

Cagalli let out a faint smile, "Maybe…" she murmured.

"If you want, I think Dearka have some leftover photos, do you want them as memorabilia? I mean don't you want to see how he looked like underneath his clothes? Or have you already taken advantage of the fact that you shared the same room as him and already imprinted his body in your mind?"

Cagalli's face turned a bright shade of red. A sudden image of Athrun half-naked form flashed briefly through her mind. Her cheeks possibly turned even redder.

Too bad for her, Kira had seen the slightly glazed look in her eyes and grinned slyly, "I didn't know my sister was a closet hentai. Tsk, Cagalli."

Cagalli glared at her brother as she elbowed him in the guts and punched him in the arm. "Shut up Kira! I'm not a pervert!" she huffed angrily.

Kira smirked, "That's what they all say…"

Cagalli's jaw dropped, she felt so scandalised. "Get ready to die Kira Yamato!" She growled as she made a lunge for her brother. Kira laughed as he easily side-stepped his sister.

"You would have to catch me first," he teased as he sprinted down the hallway with Cagalli hot on his heels.

"You just wait Kira! You are so dead!" Cagalli screamed as she chased after him.

Kira laughed as he turned on a corner, the laughter died in his throat, a grim expression replaced it. He would do anything to make sure that he's sister won't get hurt. But he knows that he couldn't protect her from everything, and when it happens he would be there to mend her and to make her laugh.

"KIRAAA!!!!" The smile was back on his face, she was getting close.

Like now.

* * *

Hehe...what now? Din Tai Fung has the best xiao long bao ever!:D

"I want nobody, nobody but YOU!  
I want nobody but **YOU** to **REVIEW!"  
**Listen to wondergirls and review!:D

Chapter 19 is going to take while cuz I have 2 presentations and exams to deal with, it will end mid-July. Don't worry, I will still write but I may take longer to post it. Sorry, sorry, sorry:(

Coolios! (shawty, shawty, shawty...thks for reading!:D) I heart superjunior! Kudos if you can find their lyrics in my A/N:D


	19. Chapter 19: Saying goodbye

Yes, Chapter 19 is finally done! PHEW! hehe. To tell you the truth, I had been hitting dry spells for Twelfth KNight, so I think future chapters may take longer to be uploaded.

Once again, a huge thanks to all my reviewers! Thank you for sticking by me even though my updates are getting slower and slower....:(

Gundam SEED ain't mine.

Inspired(not so much) by the Shakespearean play - Twelfth Night or (more) Hana Kimi or (is there still any trace of it??!!!)She's the man all jumble together:) plus a lttle quote I got from an SMS sometime ago...

ENJOY!!:))) **Edited as of 4th AugXD, didn't realised I made quite a few writing mistakes:( add a bit, change a bit. **

* * *

Cagalli opened her eyes, blinking a few times as she turned to glance out of the window before groaning and fumbling for her alarm clock. She squinted her eyes to look the glaring red numbers.

4.03am

She sighed as she turned to stare at the blank wall, tomorrow was Saturday. She was leaving ZAFT the very next day. By tomorrow, Caleb Yula would forever be gone in this world, surviving in only memories. She was almost done with her packing, a feeling of sadness suddenly engulfing her. She was really going to miss ZAFT, despite the main motive of her coming to ZAFT was just to defeat Emirates, she hadn't counted on the friendships she had forged during her stay. Her teammates, her classmates and even those crazy fan girls, but of course, she would miss Athrun the most. Kira she could still meet up since they had now acknowledged each other. Maybe even Shinn. Cagalli chuckled at that thought, who would have thought that they would become friends? She closed her eyes, trying to get a few more shut eyes before her last day in ZAFT started.

Oh ya, she still hadn't told Athrun and time was ticking away. Her mind went hazy after that thought as she drifted off to sleep.

_Later…I'll tell him later…_

* * *

Cagalli overslept.

She couldn't believe she slept in! When she sat up and looked around her room bleary, Athrun was already putting on his school uniform.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" she demanded as she stumbled out of bed and frantically try get ready for school. Damn! The boys' toilet is going to be full! How the hell was she going to change?

"I tried, but you wouldn't wake up. I was about to try again but then you already woke up," Athrun said looking at her.

Cagalli ran a hand through her messy blonde hair, trying to get rid of the tangles. She let out a frustrated sigh as she rushed to the toilet to get ready. _Maybe the female toilet would be unoccupied._

Athrun watched her zoomed out of the room and shook his head. He wondered if he should wait for her, since they always go to class together. Athrun grimaced at that thought, suddenly remembering Coach Mwu's words. Deadline was tomorrow.

He had to tell her, he shook his head again.

_Later…I'll tell her later…_

* * *

Cagalli ran into her classroom just as the school bell rang. She heaved a sigh of relief as she plonked herself down on her usual seat next to Athrun who already had his book out and was reading today's lesson. He didn't even look up when Cagalli sat down. She half-glanced at him before frowning, was he still mad at her?

Why would he be mad at her in the first place anyway? She asked herself, as far as she knew she didn't do anything to offend him. Unless he was mad at Kira, but why would be angry at him?

It was all very perplexing for the blonde.

But Cagalli didn't have time to dwell more since the teacher walked in, she seemed to be in a rather cheery mood. Maybe it was because it was Friday, which means that the weekend is here…

* * *

The last bell rang as the sound of chair scrapping the floor and the ever-rising sound of students chattering filled the classroom. Cagalli was no exception.

She was about to turn to Athrun when three girls surrounded her table, startling her slightly.

All three of them wore identical looks, ashen-faced, tearful eyes. They looked upset and agitated. Cagalli suddenly felt wary, a feeling of foreboding invading her as her heart started to beat faster.

_The mole…he didn't leak it out did he?_

"Caleb-kun!" One of the girls exclaimed, her shrill voice caused Cagalli to flinch slightly.

"Tell us, it isn't true!" she continued, leaning close to Cagalli. Cagalli instinctively leaned backwards, her heart in stuck in her throat. _Oh my god, they know…_

Cagalli saw Athrun freeze abruptly, his hand hovering over his book. She was about to jerk her head towards him but then another girl continued in an equally loud and high voice.

"Caleb-kun! You're not leaving us are you? You cannot leave ZAFT! You cannot leave us!" She said dramatically and proceeds to grab her arm tightly, causing Cagalli to wince slightly as she felt her nails digging into her skin.

"L-leaving? W-What? Where did you hear this from?" Cagalli demanded disbelief evident in her voice and expression.

By now, thanks to the girls, the whole class stopped in their packing up to look at the four of them. Cagalli cursed inwardly, this was NOT how she envisioned herself leaving ZAFT. It was supposed to be a quiet exit but now it looks like she would be getting a farewell fit for a king.

Or in this case, a queen.

"Sara heard it from the cafeteria ladies who heard it when she was in toilet who was told by the janitor who overheard two of the office ladies from the General Office talking about it who heard it from the Headmaster's secretary who saw the withdrawal form in the Headmaster's IN box!"

Cagalli felt her eyebrow twitched at the speed and the amazing way gossip travelled in ZAFT, clearly the walls not only have ears but huge babbling mouths as well.

The three girls were staring at Cagalli in desperation, hoping to hear it from her that it wasn't true! She was not leaving ZAFT.

Cagalli took a glance out of the corner of her eye and saw that the whole classroom was silent like a graveyard. Everyone wanted to know if the rumours were true.

Well, all except for a blue-haired male who packed up his stuff and left the room without a backward glance. She felt her stomach dropped, he didn't even cared whether she was staying or leaving.

"Caleb-kun!" the three girls whined simultaneously in a combined voice that made her skin crawl.

Then something inside her snapped. She was tired of being disappointed again and again by him. If he didn't care about her leaving, why should she care what he thinks whether she was a girl? She might as well come out and say that she likes him as well. Athrun was being ridiculous, why was he so freaking pissed in the first place anyway? What was he's problem? She was leaving tomorrow and she had no time to play mind games or trying to figure out what was going on in that person's head. She was going after him and demand that he tell her what the hell was going on!

Her amber eyes flashed as she pulled her arm out of the girl's hand and glared at the girls.

"Yes, it's true, I'm leaving. Now if you don't mind, excuse me," Cagalli said in forced calmness and she got the rest of her stuff into her bag and bolted after Athrun, determined to catch him and for once and for all, settled everything.

* * *

Cagalli dashed out of the classroom, looking left and right, before spotting a blue head disappearing down the right corridor as it turned a corner. Cagalli raced after him, she was not going to let him off without a proper explanation.

"ATHRUN!" she hollered as she turned the corner.

Athrun stopped in his tracks as he turned around to see Cagalli running towards him. Cagalli stopped in front of him, panting slightly.

"Yeah?" he asked impassively.

Cagalli took in a breath as she glared at him, anger still eating at her.

"What is your problem?" she demanded. "You've been acting so strangely since yesterday!"

Athrun looked away, not meeting her eyes. "Nothing," he replied in a dead voice.

Cagalli's glare intensified._ I did not run after you to hear you say "Nothing". You are going to tell me what is going on!_

"Don't lie to me! It's so freaking obvious you're pissed! I'm not stupid you know!" Cagalli burst out furiously.

Athrun took in a calming breath, he could his patience waning. _Stupid? _The only stupid person around here was him! Here he was stressing out about how to tell her that she had to leave ZAFT, when in fact she wasn't even bloody staying in ZAFT! He was worrying over nothing. God, he felt like a fool worrying about upsetting her when in fact she didn't even bother to tell him that she was leaving!

Athrun's eyes flashed. "Lie? I'm not the liar around here!" he rebutted, his temper flaring slightly.

Cagalli blinked at him, slightly taken aback, but it was not enough to derail her from getting to the bottom of things.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about,"

Cagalli let out a frustrated sound. What can't he be like other people and just tell her, rather than trying to get her to pick his brain. "No. I do not have a clue what are you talking about. I am not a mind-reader Athrun," she said sarcastically.

"Fine. You want me to say it out loud? You're a lie. Caleb Yula is a lie! He doesn't even exist! Why? Because Caleb Yula is not a guy. Caleb Yula is a _girl!_"

Cagalli stared dumbstruck at Athrun's furious face. She felt her world spinning around; it was as if time stood still. She couldn't move, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't think. All she could registered was the feeling of her heart sinking, the hollowness in her. This can't be happening.

Athrun glared at her stunned face, he wasn't done yet.

"Actually I'm fine with you being a girl because I like you for who you are and not what you are. I thought of you as my friend and I thought I was your friend. But it seemed I was sorely mistaken. If I was then you sure have a god damn funny way of showing it, because I had to find out together with the rest of the student population that you were leaving."

"I-I-I…did-didn't…I mean, h-how-no, um. I'm…er sorry," Cagalli answered numbly, she was still reeling from the shock that Athrun knew that she was a girl!

Athrun closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead wearily. "Forget it, just as well you're leaving," he said and made a motion to pass her but Cagalli instinctively grabbed his arm, he looked at her.

"What do you mean?"

Athrun looked at her, his eyes hardening. "You seriously thought that you would be able to stay in ZAFT after the stunt you just pulled? It would create an uproar should word gets out that a girl was playing for ZAFT's men team!"

Cagalli felt her world spun again, what was going on?

"You mean to say that you were going to kick me out of ZAFT's volleyball team?" she said, her voice disbelieving.

"To put it crudely, yes."

Cagalli loosed her grip on his arm, letting it fall beside her. Why did she felt so betrayed? She was done with ZAFT. She was done with volleyball. She was through. She was going home to Emirates. Why did she care about getting kick out of the ZAFTs' team? Why did she care so much anyway? Why was she feeling something else beside shock?

"You are going to kick me out of ZAFT because you found out I'm a girl, aren't you?" she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Athrun blinked at her, he didn't know how to answer her, it is true that he had to ask her to leave since she was a girl but it was not true that they were kicking her out because of her gender. He didn't know how to put it in words. The girl was greatly misunderstanding him.

"That was n-"

"You're despicable…" her voice shaking, fists trembling beside her. "I thought you were different, but I was wrong."

Athrun stared in shock at the silent fuming girl in front of him, stumped for words. Cagalli looked up, her topaz eyes blazing as she glowered at him.

"You are the same as those Emirates bastards," she said, her voice shaking with silent anger.

Athrun stared at her, ice gripping his heart. He didn't know how to react to her words.

"I bet you're overjoyed that I'm leaving, save you the trouble of kicking me out yourself," she said bitterly.

_No I'm not. If I was, I won't be so stressed thinking how to break it to you._

Cagalli took in a deep breath; she didn't know what to feel. She felt foolish stressing over how to confess to him when in actual fact he was the same as Yunna.

They were right, you can't judge a book by its cover and neither could you believe its contents as well.

"You know what, I'm glad. I'm glad that I got to know what kind of person Athrun Zala really was, and to think that I actually liked you, and to think I actually _defended _you in front of Kira and Lacus. I was wrong. I am _stupid_ because I fell in love with you," Cagalli said in anguish, her eyes glistening with unshed tears as she took small steps backward. She was going to lose it if she stayed there any longer.

He stared at her, dumbstruck. Wait, how _did _he become the bad guy here? No, no, no. Cagalli was wrong, wrong, wrong.

Wait-

Did she just confessed to him, he blinked at her. Not sure of what just happened, he was about to opened his mouth when Cagalli took one final look at him and turned away. He wanted to call her back, but nothing came out, he could only watch mutely as Cagalli walked away from him. Walking out of his life…

And all that he did was to watch her go.

* * *

Cagalli was running as she covered her lower part of her face with her hand so that no one could tell that she was crying. She didn't stop until she reached her room; shutting the door behind her and slide down, her head leaning heavily on the door.

It was then that the floodgates opened.

She cried for her broken heart. She cried for her stupidity. She cried because she was leaving ZAFT. She cried because she was confused and upset. She cried for her frustration and anger.

She cried for him. She cried for their could-have-beens. She cried for the times that she knew will never happen again.

Cagalli Yula Athha cried.

* * *

When she finally got a hold of herself, she wiped away her tears and took a huge gulp of air. She needed to think, she couldn't possibly stay on in ZAFT any longer, she doubt she could spend another night with him.

She thought of the only person she knew that could help her.

She wiped her nose on the back of her hand as she took out her cellphone with trembling hands and dialled the familiar number.

"_Hello?"_

Cagalli took in a deep breath, steadying her nerves.

"Kayla? I know that you're supposed to pick me up tomorrow, but could you pick me today? Like now?" Her voice sounded so hoarse and unnatural.

"_Today? Why? Don't you want to spend your last night at ZAFT with your friends?"_

Cagalli closed her eyes as she shifted her position to lean her back against the door.

"Not really, I already said my goodbyes…" she said, her voice still choking slightly.

"_Oh?…um…I'm not sure cause my parents are going out later. I'm not sure if I could get the car…" Kayla said slowly, wondering why her cousin wanted to come back a day early, wasn't she the one who didn't want to leave ZAFT?_

Cagalli sighed; she ran her fingers through her hair and pulled at it slightly.

"_Cagalli? Are-are you alright?" Kayla asked, concerned._

"Kayla, I really really don't want to stay at ZAFT tonight," she said, her voice thick.

There was a pause at the end of the line. Cagalli bit her lower lip, _C'mon Kayla, please._ She pleaded in her head.

"_I'll see what I can do," Kayla finally replied. "I'll call you back in a bit."_

Cagalli smiled slightly. "Thanks Kayla, I'll owe a huge favour."

"_It's ok. Cagalli? Fighting."_

She smiled at her cousin's encouragement.

"I will," with that she hung up the phone. Cagalli sniffed again as she looked at her room for the past four months.

She stood up and began packing the rest of her stuff, her heart thumping as she knew that Athrun or anyone could be walking in any moment.

* * *

She was done in twenty minutes and stared at the empty room; she could still remember the first day she saw Athrun, thinking about how self-conceited he was. So much had happened since then and it was all coming to a close.

Well, on the bright side she did manage to confess to him though it was not the way she had planned to. She sighed; she didn't even get a good look at his expression when she told him that. She was too focused on her anger to register his reaction. She shook her head, forget it. _Didn't you say just call yourself stupid for liking him? And…oh right. You even called him despicable. Ya…he's so going to fall head over heels for you now. _She thought sarcastically.

"_RINNG!" _

Cagalli gave a small start as she looked down at her phone on her bed, before answering it.

"Yeah?"

"_Be ready in two hours," _

Cagalli grimaced, two hours? That was too long. A lot can happen in two hours.

"Can't you be here in one?" she asked, feeling sheepish.

A sigh came down the line. _"I'm not an F1 racer Cagalli,"_

Cagalli sighed, "Sorry, where do I meet you?"

"_Front gate? I don't know?" Kayla replied._

Cagalli was alarmed when her cousin suggested the front gates.

"NO! I mean, how about when you are about to reach here, give me a call? And I'll tell you where I am?"

"_Sure, see you then Cagalli," Kayla answered._

Cagalli let out a sigh of relief, she was going home. But then, how was she going to leave ZAFT without anyone noticing?

And then it struck her.

_She could use the same gate that Shinn and her used when they entered the school!_

Cagalli smiled, part of her was glad that her plan was coming together.

All she got to do now was to sneak out of the dormitory and out the opening and then freedom!

"C'mon Cagalli!" She said to herself as she got her bags.

She stood in the middle of the room and looked around, she looked at Athrun's bed and his stuff sprawled on the desk. She felt her heart squeezed painfully.

Maybe she should leave him a note or something to let him know that she's leaving.

_No, don't be stupid. Why bother? It's not as if he would come chasing after you._

Cagalli's eyes hardened, as she stalked out of the room and closed the door behind her. She was closing the door to Athrun. She was closing the door to Caleb Yula.

From now on, Caleb Yula will not exist anymore.

* * *

Cagalli sneaked down the stairs and out the dorms. Good. She had not been caught.

Now, all she got to do is to make her way to the old science block and then she would be safe.

"Ah! What the heck!" she said irritated and bolted for the building, praying that no one would spot her.

She stopped when she reached the side of the science block where no one would be able to see her and decided to take a breather.

She thanked the gods that she had not been spotted, well at least none that she knew of.

But then, you know you shouldn't count your eggs before they hatched.

"Cagalli?"

Cagalli felt her blood freeze at the sound of her name. Shit, she's been spotted! Crap! Crap! Crap! What was she going to say? Would she be expelled?

Of course, all these ran through her head, everything except one crucial thing.

The person called out "Cagalli" and not "Caleb". Which means it could only be one of few people who knew she was masquerading as a guy.

And all of them were on her side.

But then, Cagalli didn't thought of these. Oh no, she was planning how to silence the guy without being sentenced to jail.

"Cagalli?" The voice came closer and she turned suddenly and tried to punch the guy. For what? Well she thought that maybe from the punch he would get amnesia about seeing her…

The logic people have when they are stressed never fails to amaze do they?

But thank goodness, said guy has quick reflexes and caught her fist in his.

"What the hell are you doing?" he demanded as Cagalli tried to wrench her fist out of his grip.

Cagalli stopped when she finally had a good look at his face.

"S-Shinn?" She let out a breath; her heart beat slowly returning to normal.

"Yes it's me. What are you doing here?" he asked, not letting of her fist which Cagalli had resuming trying to free her fist.

"Let go first," she said stubbornly. Shinn looked at her, measuring whether would she bolt before telling him before finally letting go.

"I'm leaving," she replied shortly and proceeds to walk away to the opening.

Shinn blinked, he had come out to his spot to relax when he saw Cagalli. _Leaving?_ Huh? Why so suddenly?

"Wait! You're leaving? Why?"

"That is none of your business," she answered as she quickened her footsteps and tried to spot the opening. Where is it?

Shinn stared at her back; he wasn't satisfied with her answer. He knew there was something big to make her leave so abruptly.

So he jogged up towards her and grabbed her shoulders and whirled her around. She was wearing an irritated expression, but Shinn wasn't the least bit concern. He was more concerned about her red eyes and nose, now that he had a good look at her.

"God what happened to you? You looked like the corpse bride. Oh no, I mean Frankestein's bride. Hm…or was it Dracula's bride?" he commented bluntly.

Cagalli rolled her eyes, "Shut up idiot," She tend threw his hands off of her shoulders and walked on.

Ah! She found it!

She walked towards it eagerly.

"If you don't want to tell me fine, I'll just tell the whole ZAFT about you…"

Cagalli stopped in her tracks and tried to calm herself down. She was not in the mood to be threatened.

She took a deep breath before twisting around to face him. He was wearing that stupid smug grin, he knew he had her.

Cagalli narrowed her eyes as she made her way to where he was standing.

"Well?" he said expectantly, raising an eyebrow.

Cagalli looked at him. "I'm leaving because someone else knows that I'm a girl in ZAFT. I'm leaving ZAFT because I don't want _you _to lose your trophy. I'm leaving ZAFT because I'm sick and tired of you always using my secret to threaten me! Is that good enough reasons? Or do you want more? I got shitload more!" Cagalli was furious.

Shinn looked taken aback. He didn't expect this reaction from her; he really wasn't going to tell anyone. He was just joking. Geez, some people really can't take a joke.

"What's with you today?" he asked, his eyebrows creasing.

Cagalli stared at him before sighing in resignation. "Forget it; I don't want to talk about it. Bad mood, must be that time of the month," she lied.

Shinn backed away edgily; he really didn't want to deal with a girl who was having PMS.

"Oh…um I –er see. Um, well don't worry. I won't tell," he said awkwardly.

Cagalli nodded, smiling thinly. "Thanks," she said as she made her way to the opening again.

"Ca-Cagalli!"

She turned to see Shinn waving at her, a sincere smile on his face.

"See you around?"

She shrugged.

"Maybe," she replied.

Cagalli smiled back, what an irony. Shinn was turning out to be better than Athrun.

She waved back, before turning. What a surprise, she was going to miss Shinn. If you had told her that she would be missing him as a friend in ZAFT, she would be laughing her head off. Shinn had turned out to be a rather good friend to be with. She never told him how grateful she was for him as a friend. She hesitated, wondering for once should she go on impulse.

_What the heck_

She turned and ran to Shinn, throwing her arms around him. Shinn was surprised by the sudden action of Cagalli. He stiffened, before hugging her back.

"Thank you Shinn," she said as she hugged him. "I gonna miss you…Take care."

Shinn smiled, "You too Cagalli, take good care of yourself."

She nodded and held onto to him a little bit longer before releasing him.

Both of them stood facing each other, amber meeting ruby.

"Well then." Shinn said first, scratching the back of his head and clearing his throat. "You…better get going."

"Yeah, well see you around," Cagalli replied as she smiled at him, she turned and made her way out of the school and took out her cell phone, ready to let Kayla know where to pick her up.

* * *

Shinn looked at her back until it disappeared. He couldn't help but feel a sense of loss as he watched her go; he was really going to miss that girl. She was very different from the girls he knew, she had her own mind and dares to fight for what she believed in.

After all, how many girls would pretend to be a boy just to prove that girls are just as good as boys?

He admired that about her.

He stared at the place where she disappeared, before turning back. His hands in his pockets as he made his way back to his dormitory.

ZAFT wasn't going to be same without Cagalli.

* * *

Cagalli stood at the sidewalk, nervously looking around, praying that she wouldn't meet anyone from ZAFT. She glanced impatiently at her watch.

Just then, a silver car pulled up beside her. Cagalli blinked as the window wind down, revealing her cousin in the driver seat.

She smiled as she dumped her bags on the backseat and climbed into the car.

"Whose car is this?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"No, not really," Cagalli replied hastily, sometimes it's best to be ignorant.

"So…what happened? You sounded so…so desperate on the phone," Kayla asked curious.

Cagalli sighed. "I really don't want to talk about it."

Kayla took a quick glance at her cousin's face and grimaced. Cagalli had been crying. This was bad if she was crying.

She bit her tongue, deciding to let her cousin rest on the journey back.

Questions can wait.

* * *

Cagalli stared out of the window, watching the lights and people whizzing past her. She felt numb; maybe it was better to feel this way. No pain, no aches, just nothing. No feeling.

She blinked. Oh god no, not again. She sniffed; she was glad that it was getting dark so that Kayla won't see her tears.

_Stop crying you idiot! Crying won't solve anything! Crying isn't going to make him like you! Crying wouldn't help._

But yet somehow, she couldn't stop a trickle coming down her face.

_I'm sorry…but I think I loved him too much to be able to stop loving him so suddenly._

Cagalli closed her eyes, _it will be fine, everything would be alright. Time will heal all wounds._

Yes, time will heal wounds, but time will never heal the scars.

* * *

Kayla knew that her cousin was crying. She bit her lower lip, she dearly wanted to comfort her, ask her what's wrong. But she couldn't. Because, one – She was driving, she didn't think that the other drivers would sympathize with the growing pains of a teenager. Second – Cagalli wasn't ready yet and she knew better than to push Cagalli when she's not ready.

Kayla sighed inwardly as she took another fleeting look at her cousin. Her eyes were closed, Kayla hesitated before saying,

"Cagalli?"

Her eyes opened as she turned to Kayla.

"Do you why stars and us are the same?"

"Kayla…I'm really not in the mood to play games with you," Cagalli replied, suddenly feeling emotionally drained.

But Kayla pressed on.

"They are the same because even if you don't see them, you know where they are, so you're not alone. Cagalli, you never walk alone. There are people that walk with you in life even though sometimes you can't see them, but you always know where to find them. Just like how you find me,"

Cagalli was silent as she contemplated her words.

"Thank you," she said softly.

Kayla smiled.

_Everything will turned out alright, Cagalli. You'll see…_

* * *

OMG!!!! What the hell???!!! Argh! Athrun you big dum dum! X)

Sigh...guess you would have to wait till chapter 20 to find out!

Do remember to review! I really love receiving them! It makes writing this story a whole lot more enjoyable:D

Coolios!(Thks for reading XD)


	20. Chapter 20

Yes....your eyes aren't deceiving you...it's really chapter 20! I'm so sorry that I took so long...I hit quite a bad patch writing this chapter....I think it won't end until the end of the story..:( So...give me loads of encourgaments ya? Thanks!

Thank you to all my patient readers and reviewers for sticking by me all this while and esp to those who drop a 'UPDATE SOON!" review! haha!

Gundam seed doesn't not belong to me

Inspired(not so much) by the Shakespearean play - Twelfth Night or (more) Hana Kimi or (is there still any trace of it??!!!)She's the man all jumble together:)

**ENJOY!!:)))) EDITED AS OF 13TH DEC...SORRY ABOUT ALL THE MISTAKES, SHOULD HAVE CHECKED AGAIN AFTER UP I UPLOADED THE CHAPTER...SORRY!X( one more thing, the chapter is still chapter name-less, if anyone wants to drop an idea for it, plz do so! I'm at a loss! Thanks!XD **

**and don't worry about the story turning into a soap opera, trust me k? XD I don't like to rush love. and Love refuses to be rushed:)**

**AND THKS FOR THE REVIEWS!X) 2 MORE AND I'LL HIT 300! I'LL UPDATE BY THEN!!!XD after I'm back from Korea!!!!!! **

* * *

Athrun stared at the door to his room as he steadied his nerve before unlocking the door.

_Ok Athrun, just apologise for what you said and that you didn't mean it that way and that you hope that you could still be friends._

"_I am _stupid_ because I fell in love with you" _

Athrun shook his head and took in a deep breath as he walked in and stopped.

She wasn't there…

Athrun frowned as a sudden ominous feeling struck him. On a hunch, he went over to her cupboard and threw open the doors.

His worst fear was confirmed.

She was gone.

Her cupboard was empty, her stuff was gone.

Athrun stared into the empty space as his breathing quickened.

_This is a dream, no a nightmare. She's still here, Cagalli is still here. She can't be gone. She just can't be._

Athrun backed away from the cupboard as though it was an illusion. Someone must have been playing a trick on him, her stuff wasn't really gone. It wasn't. It just can't be.

There must be some magic trick, using some mirrors that somehow seemed to create an illusion of an empty cupboard.

Cagalli can't be gone. He haven't even apologised to her yet. She can't leave ZAFT having a wrong impression of him.

Athrun turned and bolted out of the room and turned blindly and ran smack into Kira.

"Athrun! Whoa, where are you going in such a rush?"

Athrun looked at Kira as though he was looking at him for the very first time.

"I have to find he-I mean um…Caleb," he said catching himself in time.

"Caleb? Why? What happened? Did something happen to him? Athrun!" Kira said, his voice edgy. A sudden fear gripped him.

"I-I think he left," Athrun said as he looked at his best friend, for the first time in his life, he didn't know what to do. This wasn't like him. Athrun Zala always knows what to do but when it came to her. To Cagalli, why did he feel like a small kid? Lost and confused. He didn't understand himself.

"He…he left?" Kira echoed as he frowned. Wasn't Cagalli supposed to leave tomorrow? Why did she leave so suddenly? Unless…unless something happened.

"Athrun, what exactly happened between you and Caleb?" Kira asked as he narrowed his eyes.

Athrun hesitated, as far as he knew, Kira didn't know anything about Caleb being a girl.

"N-nothing…we just...it was nothing, I knew he was leaving but I didn't know it would be so soon," Athrun muttered.

Kira stared at his friend, something was wrong. Athrun wasn't acting like Athrun. He looked _crushed_.

"Athrun…are, are you ok?" Kira asked concerned.

Athrun forced a smile, "Yeah, I'm fine. It's probably just because I was caught off guard with Caleb's sudden departure. That's all. I'll be fine, sorry about that Kira. See you in the morning."

Kira nodded as he watched his friend disappeared back into his room. He shook his head, Athrun still continue to elude him despite their long friendship. He could never fully figure Athrun out.

* * *

Athrun closed his door before walking over to Cagalli's bed, he could see creases in the bed sheet like someone sat on it and stood up without bothering to smooth the sheet.

He bent down and ran his fingers across the smooth cotton sheet before sitting down on her bed. His fingers gripped the sheet as he stared opposite at his bed.

_Athrun almost fell out of the bed when he heard the door opened as he quickly adjusted his clothes and sat up, their faces slightly flushed at being caught. He blinked as he saw a blonde hair girl lying on the cold floor._

The corners of his lips twitched as he remembered how they met.

"_Athrun, no one can make you feel inferior without your consent. If you really like her, then fight for her love. Did you really expect love to be serve on a silver platter? Did you expect Lacus to fall head over heels in love with you the minute she set her eyes on you? If love is that easy to come by then it's not love is it? There's a reason why they say love is bittersweet, without the bitter moments how do you know which are sweet ones?"_

Her words rang in his head; he buried his face in his hands. If there was one thing he was never good at, it was expressing himself. Sure he may be popular be with the girls but he had never liked any of them so it was easy for him to play the part and lived up to their expectations. He had never met anyone…anyone like Cagalli.

Cagalli was the first girl to that managed to move his heart. Sure he thought that she was a guy and he questioned himself when he found out the truth, would they have been so close if she had never masquerade as a boy?

No. The answer was obvious. Cagalli was the kind of girl he would never dreamt dating or even look at. She wasn't his type. Tomboyish, loud, stubborn…

His was the sweet, quiet, shy kind of girl.

He let out a frustrated cry, did he love her?

Athrun shook his head as he paced around his room, he didn't know. He didn't what to think.

What the hell is love anyway?

Was he supposed to go all lovey-dovey and tongue-tied like those stupid chick flicks the girls used to whine and forced him to go. Was he supposed to think of her all the time? Was he going to go mad because he missed her? Would he cry for her?

He wasn't. He could speak perfectly well around her. He didn't think of her 24/7. And he was pretty sure his mental well-being would be in the same healthy state before she left and after she left.

Such things will never happen in real life. Such things only happened in reel life, to give false hopes to love-crazed girls everywhere.

Would he cry for her?

Athrun paused.

He stopped crying when his mother died. He stopped crying after his father told him that the Zala heir never shed a tear. The Zala heir never shows weakness.

"So…I…don't love her?" He concluded to the vacant bed.

"Oh…"

And something in him broke.

* * *

In the car, Cagalli's phone rang.

"Cagalli, Cagalli!" Kayla called but she didn't answer.

Kayla took a quick peep and saw Cagalli sleeping in her seat. She sighed as she let the call go to voicemail.

* * *

Kira frowned as he ended his call for the umpteenth time. Cagalli was not picking up.

"C'mon, just pick up will you?" Kira said as he stared or rather glared at his phone, as though it was its fault that Cagalli was not picking up.

"Haish," Kira said irritably as he tossed his phone on his bed and flopped down.

_I'll try again later…_

* * *

"We're here," Kayla announced as she turned off the engine.

Cagalli gave a groan beside her just as her phone rang.

Kayla rolled her eyes as she heard that annoying ringtone; she had to endure the ringtone for the entire trip.

"Where the hell is that stupid phone?" She seethed as she bent over to Cagalli's side and fished around for her phone in her pocket.

"Ah, found it!" she cheered as she answered the call.

"_Cagalli? Is that you? Why didn't you pick up my calls before?! Do you know how worried I was?!" _An agitated voice burst at the end of the other line.

Kayla looked at the phone incredulously.

_Geez! That person sounds just like my mom when she's on one of her nagging rants. _

"I'm not Cagalli," she informed dryly. She had inkling as to who it was on the other line.

There was a silence at the end of the other line.

Kayla rolled her eyes, if her new found cousin was anything like his sister; she knew what was going through his mind.

"I'm not a kidnapper, I'm Kayla. Cagalli's asleep,"

"_Oh? Um…I just um…I'll call back later,"_ Kira said unsurely.

"Eh! Wait! Wait! Don't hang up yet!" Kayla said hurriedly as she threw a backward glance at Cagalli and got out of the car.

"Hello?" Kayla asked in a hushed voice, Cagalli wouldn't be too happy if she found out what Kayla was asking.

"_Yeah?" _And Kayla breathed a sigh of relief. Since Kira called, maybe he know what's going on with Cagalli.

"Um…I'm just curious, do you know what happened to Cagalli? She…she didn't seem like herself…"

" _I don't exactly knew what happened…but I think it had got to do with Athrun,"_

Kayla couldn't help but let out a small smile despite herself. She didn't know whether to cheer or cry. To cheer because Cagalli had found someone decent or to cry because fate was playing a cruel joke on both of them.

Kayla let out a sigh as she leaned on the car after taking a peep at the still sleeping Cagalli.

"Well, at least she found someone better-looking this time," Kayla mumbled to herself.

"_Ya well, Athrun is a huge improvement from Yunna," _Kira laughed.

"She told you?" Kayla questioned in surprise. "Usually Cagalli would deny dating him."

"_Ah…" _

An awkward silence enveloped the both of them as Kayla cleared her throat and asked,

"So..ahem…are you meeting the family soon?"

A hesitation on the other end of the line.

"_Um…Cagalli wants me to meet our father on Sunday,"_

Kayla smiled, "You don't sound excited or happy…I'm guessing you're not keen?"

There was a silence on the line.

"Uncle Uzumi is a wonderful person, I know he made some mistakes in the past, but I really hope you don't blame him for giving you away. He really did not have any choices back then, our Athha family's business was hit rather hard by a financial crisis then and the whole family was hit badly. My father, your father, everyone lost everything. The family almost went bankrupt back then. Uncle Uzumi could barely feed himself, let alone feed another three mouths. I know it seemed cruel but sometimes, you just have to make the best decisions with the limited knowledge you have then. As it turned out, it wasn't the best decision, but he didn't know it back then. No one knew. Kira, please try to understand that…I know it's hard but…sometimes it's best to let bygones be bygones."

Kayla ended her words as she bit her lower lip nervously. There she had said it; she didn't know if she made matters worse, she took a gamble. Playing on the card that if Kira was anything like what Cagalli said, Kira would understand and forgive.

Kayla waited with batted breath for his response.

"K-Kira?" Kayla said testily when he did not reply for quite some time. "I'm sorry if what I said was out of line but I really do want you to know that Uncle loves you, we all do. And we are looking forward to seeing you back in our family Kira…and"

Kayla froze when she heard a groan coming from the car, shit. Cagalli was waking up and Kayla didn't think that she would approve of her telling Kira all that.

"I-got to go, think about it. Bye!" Kayla said hurriedly as she shut the phone and quickly moved inside where Cagalli had just woken up.

"About time you woke up," Kayla said as she passed her phone back.

"Why were you using my phone?"

"My phone went out of batt, hope you don't mind," Kayla grinned.

Cagalli rolled her eyes as she climbed out the car and took in the familiar building of Emirates. The corners of her lips tugged upwards.

Regardless of everything that had happened, it was good to be back.

* * *

The volleyball players were sitting at the bleachers of the volleyball court waiting for their coach, since the end of volleyball season almost meant the final year volleyball players would be stepping down to focus on their studies and it's time for new blood to take over the volleyball team.

The boys were all mingling around and talking, usually chatters will be loud enough for anyone within a 20 foot radius to hear but this time around, it was whispers. If you think boys don't gossip, think again. Boys can be as nosy as the girls.

The only topic among them was Caleb Yula, the mysterious boy who came and disappeared like the wind. Almost like a masked vigilante…

Only three persons knew what happened. And none of them will ever speak of it.

* * *

The final year players were together talking about Caleb and were throwing out guesses as to what happened to him.

And to Kira's surprise, the rumors floating around held partial truth.

"I heard from the girls in my class that Yunna that idiot had something to do with it…"

"My friend in Emirates said that Caleb resembles one of their top volleyball players."

"Apparently Caleb was in debt and he had to flee after the championships…"

Kira was listening to their conversations and all he could do was to bite the inside of his cheeks to stop himself from laughing in incredulity. Seriously…some of their imagination knows no bounds and no realism.

"Aw man, whatever it was, I'm going to miss the dude..he was interesting," Dearka sighed and leaned back on the bench above him.

A murmur of agreement went through the group, none could deny that Caleb played an important role in them getting their championships.

A silence descended on the group as they waited in silence for their coach and their captain.

* * *

"…and that concludes our meeting, well then, congrats to the new captain and final year students, get off your sorry ass and start studying hard," Coach Mwu said as the boys began to get up noisily,

When suddenly one of the boys asked in a loud voice," Coach, what happened to Caleb?"

Mwu looked at him and then at the rest of his team who was looking at him with interest, he hesitated. He didn't want to talk about it since she was already gone and he saw no reason to bring the whole matter up so he said," Caleb left for personal reasons which I did not ask and see no reason to ask," and with that he turned his back on his team and walked swiftly out of the court, leaving the team to ponder over his ambiguous words.

While the rest of the boys were discussing theories, Kira studied his best friend, Athrun who was silent as he stood there, frowning.

Athrun wasn't himself, throughout the whole meeting although he acted how he was supposed to be, Kira knew something was bothering him. He caught him frowning and sometimes sighing though very subtly, but enough for Kira to deduce that something was bugging him. He walked towards him just as Athrun looked up. Athrun eyes widened momentarily before he blinked and shook his head. Kira raised his eyebrows at the peculiar behavior before creasing his eyebrows when he caught Athrun almost indistinguishable mumblings…

"_I'm seeing things…"_

Kira didn't think much about his words since he was more concerned for his friend's wellbeing.

"You ok? You seemed quite out of it…" Kira commented.

Athrun smiled half-heartedly as he replied, "I'm fine Kira, just tired."

Kira looked at him suspiciously wondering how far would he be able to persuade Athrun to tell him what was bothering him. He was pretty sure it had something to do with Cagalli.

"Is it about Caleb?"

Athrun flinched inwardly at his words, damn…Kira always managed to hit the nail on the head. He knew he wasn't going to get away that easily.

"Partially…" Athrun said as he glanced away and looked at Dearka, Yzak and Shinn who was talking among themselves.

"He did leave quite sudden," Kira said. "But I'm sure he's fine."

Athrun nodded mutely as Kira patted his shoulder.

Then Athrun frowned as he looked up, something wasn't right.

"You seemed rather unaffected about Caleb's departure, I thought you both were pretty close," Athrun said as he looked at his friend.

Kira withdrew his hand and scratched the back of his head, "Um well, of course I'm upset but I figured that he must have a good reason."

Athrun raised his eyebrows as he looked at his friend, this was coming from a guy who was positively sure that the world was coming to an end when he couldn't find his math homework which was stuffed at the bottom of his bag by his heavy math textbook.

Something tells Athrun that Kira wasn't being completely honest with him about Caleb. Kira knows something and he's not telling him.

Athrun was getting suspicious. Did Kira know about Caleb's true identity? Did he know why she left?

Just as Athrun was about to confront him a sudden loud shout rang in the court.

"WHAT?!"

Athrun jerked his head instinctively to the sound which came from Dearka's group which included LunaMaria now.

"We should go over and see what's going in," Kira said hastily as he dragged Athrun over before he could even respond.

"Yeah right, Luna," Dearka said as he rolled his eyes.

Lunamaria narrowed her eyes at him.

"Do I look like the kind of person that would kid around?" she shot back.

"What's going on?" Kira said almost too eagerly.

"Lunamaria is telling us that Caleb Yula is a girl," Yzak answered almost cynically.

Kira blinked as he turned towards Lunamaria, the wheels in his brain whirling. How did she know about it? There's no way that she would know. No, I have to find out.

"A girl? What makes you say that?" Kira questioned.

Lunamaria turned and said, "I asked my sister who was in Emirates, she said that Caleb resembles their ex-volleyball _girl_ captain- Cagalli Yula Athha. And she said that she was missing since the start of the school term which coincides with the appearance of this 'Caleb Yula'. Coincidence much?"

"Athrun! You knew it don't you? Yunna was telling the judges that day! You were there! You must have heard it!" Luna said as she looked at Athrun.

Athrun looked at his friends who were waiting for his answer, suddenly caught off-guard by Luna's words.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied stonily.

Lunamaria blinked at him, surprised by his answer. She knew that Athrun knew. Yunna would have told everyone there. There's no way that Athrun didn't know. He was covering up for her. But…why?

Did that bitch hoodwinked him as well? Just as she did to Shinn?

Athrun studied Luna, questions firing all over in his head. How did she know? How much did she know? What is she doing? He took a gamble by not backing her up, he hoped that he made the right move but denying it. To him, there was no use racking it up, she was already gone and it would do no good to anyone by revealing her true identity. What would Lunamaria Hawke gain from exposing Cagalli anyway?

"Why are covering up for her? She lied to you! She deceived everyone! Unless…don't tell me you fell in love with her Athrun? After all, you did spend _a lot_ of time together…" Lunamaria said, her tone condescending.

"Is that why you don't want to admit that Caleb is actually a girl? She lied to you, you know…"

Athrun narrowed his eyes at her, _what is she doing?_

"Luna…" Shinn started, he sensed that this conversation was not going to end well.

"Does it really matter whether that person is a girl or a boy? The bottom-line is that he helped us to attain the championship title, he dedicated his time and effort to the team and he sacrificed as much as you and I did, does it changed if he was a girl? No. The fact is he gave as much to the team as any of ZAFT's volleyball players," Athrun said fiercely, his eyes intense.

Everyone was slightly taken aback by the sudden loss of cool by Athrun, they hardly seen cool Athrun being so um…_hot?_

"Luna, let's go. We promise to meet Rey and the rest. I'll see you guys later," Shinn said as he dragged Lunamaria out, she looked as though she wanted to say more but held her tongue and allowed herself to be pulled out by Shinn.

Athrun sighed as he turned and walked away from the group, he couldn't believe that he lost his cool. He snapped when Lunamaria said the word _"lied" _it triggered the memory of Yunna and his face when he said,

"_I'm telling the truth Zala, it's for your own good. Your teammate had been lying to you all this while. Are you still going to trust her? After she had betrayed you?"_

"_Don't say I never warn you Zala,"_

Athrun really wanted to punch something right then.

* * *

The remaining three ZAFT players exchanged looks with each other. Kira was surprised to know that Athrun knew about Cagalli being a girl. Although he denied it but Lunamaria made sense, Yunna would have told him then. Of course, he knew Athurn would cover for her, but what took him by surprise was his outburst about Cagalli, although he agreed with what Athrun said, he felt that Athrun was trying to convince himself rather than them. Why?

Truth be told, he wasn't sure how Athrun would react to Caleb being a girl. Even knowing him all these years, he could never predict Athrun reactions. Like just now, he didn't expect Athrun to stand up for Cagalli. Well, Cagalli would be happy to know that, if she still likes him.

"So…what just happened?" Dearka asked, he was confused.

Kira and Yzak shrugged their shoulders as they exchanged looks, Kira was pretty sure that Yzak already knew what was going on, but he had the sense not to probe into it or ask questions about it. If there was one thing Kira was appreciative about was that Yzak never asked poke his nose into business that don't concerned him, the same cannot be said about Dearka unfortunately.

"Why did Luna asked Athrun if he was in love with Caleb? Is Athrun gay?" Dearka pressed on, "Guys! Tell me!"

"I have to go…bye guys!" Kira said as he hurried away, wondering if he could catch Athrun. Yzak watched him leave, great. Now he's stuck with Elsman.

"Yzak, you know something don't you? Does our dear Zala fancy guys?"

Yzak rolled his eyes at his friend**. **"Yes,Athrun Zala just came out of the closet and confessed he's gay," Yzak said sarcastically.

Dearka looked at him before turning thoughtful, "I thought I smelt something fishy when I was getting those shots of him in the shower…I swear he was getting turned on…"

Yzak's face twitched as he wondered if it's possible to get away with his murder on the account that he was doing the whole world a favour.

* * *

"Athrun!" Kira shouted as he ran down the only corridor from the court and made a spilt-second decision to run down the stairs that would lead to outside.

His eyes lit up when he noticed a blue head walking away.

He was about to chase after him when Athrun suddenly kicked a tree branch lying innocently on the ground, he frowned. Why is he so angry?

Maybe this isn't the best time to confront him about Cagalli. By the looks of it, Athrun had a lot on his mind to think about.

Kira bit his lower lip; well he wasn't the only one. He still hasn't decided on whether to turn up tomorrow, Eepecially after hearing his cousin's words.

He sighed, looks like there would be two troubled minds tonight.

* * *

Athrun kicked the tree branch. It did little to soothe his frustrated self.

Why was he so agitated about anyway? So what if Cagalli was girl? He already said he didn't cared. He let out a puff of air as he looked up at the basketball hoops as he crossed the empty court.

He was about halfway acrossed when he spotted a lone basketball lying on the ground, someone must have forgotten to put it back. He took the ball up and bounced it a few times, the sound of ball hitting the court was a familiar tune to his ears.

He did a running layup and the ball easily looped through.

"_Is that all you got?" Cagalli taunted._

"_One more," Athrun said._

Athrun did a three-point shot and the ball sailed through the hoop.

"_Not bad, my turn," she said as she smiled, the smooth curve of her lips, her eyes challenging._

Athrun did one more shot, he dribbled the ball and shoots the ball as he ran and the ball rebounded off the rim of the hoop. He watched as the ball landed in front of him and bounced away, its sound getting softer and softer before the whole court was silent once again.

_Athrun lay on the court with his hands behind his head panting slightly as he gazed at the bright stars. Cagalli joined and lay beside him._

_He wrapped his arms around her. For once, he was able to pour his feelings to someone, all these while, he never showed his weak side, even with Kira and his friends. Caleb was able to open him up…_

He knew why as he stared at the basketball hoop.

Yunna was right.

He felt cheated and betrayed. He trusted her enough to show his weak side. But yet, she didn't trust him enough to tell him that she was girl.

He felt his heart burned at that thought. It was such an unbearable feeling but yet he did not try to stop it.

_Let my heart burn, let it burn if it means burning away all memories of her._

_Let it burn…_

That day, Athrun remembered what tears rolling down your cheeks felt like again.

* * *

I hope the chapter was ok, I was very worried about the characters being OOC, esp Luna since I need her to ruffle up our cool blue dude. I hope Athrun was in character too, I have to admit that I haven't touch Gundam Seed in a while and didn't dared for fear of cringing of my fanfic having OOC...

**REVIEW!!! Pretty please? cookies if you do!:) It would make me happy to know that ppl are still reading my work!XD**

Coolios!XD


	21. Chapter 21: Reconciliation

Hello! Yes It's an update lols! After hmm...I think 13 months? Oo...13! Gah! -I'm such a suju fangirl!- ahah I'm soo sorry...:( Inspiration eluded me...

Just want to thank everyone who have been following me and dropping me reviews and messages about my lack of updates. So sorry! -bows apologetically- I hope that this chapter will make up for it! Also to new readers! Welcome and thanks for taking the time to read my fic!

Shan't say more so just enjoyed the lastest chapter!XD

Gundam seed does not belong to me as always!

Inspired(not so much) by the Shakespearean play - Twelfth Night or (more) Hana Kimi or (is there still any trace of it?)She's the man all jumble together:) and a slight Inception reference!

ENJOY!:)))

* * *

"You are seriously going to wear that to the lunch?" Kayla inquired.

"What? It looks fine," Cagalli protested as she glanced into the full-length mirror.

A normal red t-shirt with cargo pants complete with sneakers.

What so wrong about it?

"Cagalli, might I remind you that you are going to meet with your father and your brother. This meeting is huge!" Kayla said.

Cagalli rolled her eyes. "Therefore because it's so _huge_ that's why I'm wearing this. I want to be comfortable and not worrying about having a wardrobe malfunction."

Kayla sighed as she got up from the bed she was lying on.

"Fine but at least wear a pair of jeans; cargos are like soo…soo…ew…Girls shouldn't be allowed to wear cargos unless they are off fighting some giant robots in the desert or something."

Cagalli crossed her arms as she looked at her cousin. Kayla raised an eyebrow.

"What?" Kayla cried indigantly. "It's true; I mean why would anyone need so many pockets for? Hello? There's something call a bag? Seriously it's so uncool to have bulging pockets, it's as if you put on like 20 pounds or something, not to mention it isn't flattering on the figure! It makes asses looked twice their size."

Cagalli rolled her eyes. "It's just bottomwear…ok fine! I'll change to a pair of jeans, you happy?"

She was about to pull out a random pair of jeans when Kayla stopped her.

"Nah-uh, your jeans are a fashion nightmare. Baggy jeans were never in to begin with. Wear one of mine," Kayla said as she rummaged through her closet.

Cagalli's eyes widened. "No way, your jeans are like tiny…and so tapered that it looks as if it's cutting off blood supply to my lower limbs. NO way in hell am I going to wear your jeans!"

Kayla looked at her with an evil look in her eyes and suddenly Cagalli felt scared. And she was the one who went to ZAFT as a boy, kicked Yunna's ass and thrashed the Emirates team.

Yes, Cagalli was afraid of her petite cousin who paled in size when compared to the Emirates guys but Cagalli knew better.

Kayla was not someone to trifle with.

"Then you just have to go to hell," Kayla said wickedly, holding up a pair of skinny jeans.

Cagalli gulped and wondered if Kayla was the Devil's advocate.

* * *

"Stupid jeans, seriously. Why are women's jeans so…so…so tight? Did they seriously think that we enjoy having our legs and butts squeezed so that guys can ogle at our asses? Sheesh!" Cagalli grumbled as she waited outside the restaurant for her father.

She glanced at her watch nervously, wondering if Kira would showed up, it was 11.45 now.

"Cagalli!" A deep voice called out. Cagalli turned her head and smiled at her father approaching her.

"Dad!" She greeted as she hugged him, relishing her father's scent.

Uzumi smiled as he put his arms around his daughter and walked into the restaurant.

Cagalli took another quick glance at her watch. 11.49

_There's still time._

* * *

"…so I think I might be able to stay in Orb longer since Mr Hijikata is handling the deal. Isn't that good news, Cagalli? Cagalli? Cagalli?"

Uzumi waved a hand in front of her face as Cagalli sat up startled. She shook her head.

"Sorry?"

"I said that I might be staying in Orb longer. Is everything ok? You seemed like you got a lot on your mind," Uzumi asked concerned.

Cagalli flashed a smile and nodded.

"Yeah, everything is fine! Just tired," she lied as she took another glance at her watch. 12.30

"Are you meeting someone else later?" Uzumi asked, noticing that since they had sat down, his daughter had been glancing at her watch every 10 seconds.

"Um…not really, Um well. Actually I um asked a friend to meet us for lunch. Is it ok with you, Dad?" Cagalli asked. She bit her lower lip as the question rolled off her tongue, she didn't know what compelled her to say that.

Uzumi's eyebrows rose. He was puzzled. Cagalli had never invited her friends or anyone for that matter to their father-daughter dates. EVER.

"Why? You never invited your friends to have lunch with us before?" Uzumi asked, voicing out his thoughts.

"Well, this friend is…special. And I want you to meet him," Cagalli said carefully.

Uzumi's eyes widened at the word "him".

"A boy?" He asked. Well more like a statement rather than a question.

"Cagalli, are you dating?"

Cagalli made a face instinctively. EW. Dating her brother?

"No, he's not my boyfriend…just someone special."

Uzumi narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Why would Cagalli want to introduce a boy, a _special_ boy to him? Unless…

"Cagalli, did you have sex with the boy and he knocked you up?" Uzumi asked bluntly, his eyes glowering.

Cagalli's amber eyes widened as her jaw slackened.

What the- Where in the world did her father get such a crazy idea?

"Cagalli you better tell me the truth. Did you or did you not slept with that guy and that bastard got you pregnant?" Uzumi demanded his voice raising.

Cagalli was horrified as she shushed her father as some of the patrons turned towards them curiously.

"Dad, shhh! I'm not pregnant and I did not sleep with anyone. Are you crazy! I'm not some whore! God! Where the hell did you get such a stupid idea from?" Cagalli huffed, offended that her father would even suggest that.

Uzumi's eyes lost some of its fury. Of course, his daughter won't do something like that. But then what so special about this guy?

"Then who exactly is this _boy_ that you want me to meet?"

Cagalli was flustered as she tries to make a decision. Should she or should she not tell her father that she knew everything? What if her father walked out of the restaurant? What if having this meeting will make things worse?

Just then, the door to the restaurant opened and a familiar brunette walked in.

"Kira!" She blurted out instantly.

"Kira?" Uzumi repeated confused as he turned his head to see who Cagalli was staring at. His amethyst eyes widened in shock as he watched his son walked towards them.

"Ca-Cagalli, what- What is the meaning of this?" he demanded as he looked at his daughter.

Cagalli flinched at the look her father was giving her; clearly he wasn't thrilled with the sudden appearance of Kira. But she stood firm, this is the day that her family will be whole again.

"That's what I'm trying to tell you, I invited Kira to come to join us," Cagalli explained to her father.

Uzumi regarded his daughter, wondering how much his daughter knows about Kira, whether she knew that he was actually her brother.

There was a reason why he did not contact Kira for all these years, he had on many occasions wanted to acknowledge him as his son but he stopped himself every time when heard the love in Natsu's voice whenever they were talking about Kira, he couldn't bring himself to take Kira away from such a joyful family but at the same time he wasn't ready to let Kira go and the guilt of giving away his one and only son weighed heavily on his shoulders every time he looked into Cagalli's smiling face, reminding him of what he had done.

But now watching Kira walking towards them, he couldn't help but feel a strong rush of emotions in him. Fear, happiness, excitement, guilt…and even pride. He was proud of Kira, being a top student in ZAFT and being one of the star players on the volleyball team. His achievements was endless and Uzumi know that Kira has a very bright future ahead of him and the only thing he could help his son on that road was to make sure Kira attended to best schools and have the best opportunities that money could buy.

"Kira, I thought you would never come! Sit next to me!" Cagalli said, smiling. Overjoyed that Kira came, it was a good sign; at least the three of them are sitting down and having a meal.

Uzumi's eyes watched Kira as he sat down opposite him; it felt so surreal to have a meal with someone who doesn't know that he was his son.

"Kira, this is our father. Mr Uzumi Athha," Cagalli introduced without missing a beat. She did not like to beat around the bush, the sooner their father realized that there was no use in hiding it from them; the soonner they could start rebuilding their family.

Uzumi jerked his head towards his daughter. _Our father?_

They knew? How did they found out? A million questions went through his mind as he could barely start to comprehend the situation he suddenly found himself in.

"B-Both of you know?" Uzumi asked, disbelieving.

Cagalli nodded. "I knew along I had a brother, but Kira didn't know until recently."

Uzumi looked at Kira was seemed to be preoccupied with trying to burn a hole through the table with his eyes.

"Kira…I-Well, this is unexpected. I would never had expected or dreamt for either of you to find out, especially when I have always been so careful, apparently I was as cautious as I thought I was," he said with a small smile. He had already resigned to the fact that this day would come inevitably but he would never have imagined it being like this.

Cagalli glanced at Kira who at staring at his plate, his posture stiff. She reached her hand over to give a small squeeze to his hand under the table as a sign of support. Kira turned his hand so he could return the squeeze, his form losing a bit of the stiffness. He didn't let go of her hand, he needed some kind of pillar of support facing the man that abandoned him all those years ago.

"Kira, I must tell you how truly sorry I am for giving you away, I'm not proud of the way I handled the situation then, but I need you to know that not a day goes by that I do not think of you. I never forgetten about you Kira," Uzumi said, tenderness filling his eyes as he looked at his son properly for the first time since he was an infant. How much have Kira grown. Kira had his mother's nose and mouth but his father's eyes, those brilliant purple eyes which his wife had said were the hidden colour of a beautiful sunset.

"_People see oranges and yellows and reds in the sunset, but not many see purple, the blending of the blue skies and the red sun. Without purple, the sunset will never been as magnificent," she once said as they watched the sunset together._

But yet, Kira may have his eyes but when he looked into his son's eyes, he couldn't help but felt as if he was staring into his late wife's amber orbs.

"You look so much like your mother," he couldn't help but say as a memory of his late wife came to his mind.

Kira looked at him and found his heart swelling a bit, he looked like his mother? A hazy image of a woman with brown wavy hair and his features but Cagalli's radiant smile flashed across his mind. Was that how his mother looked like? Kira found himself suddenly very eager to know more about this woman, but yet he felt that he wasn't quite ready yet to find out everything because everything will changed. He would have to made more space in his heart to love another family as much as he loved his current one. His heart wasn't quite ready to made such an accommodation yet.

He took a deep breath as he looked straight at the man who was awaiting for him to speak.

"I was confused when I found out," Kira started, choosing his words carefully. "I couldn't fathom how could anyone just give their son away and then I got angry. I began to question why was this happening to me, and I got furious at my fath-I mean Yama- I mean "

Kira shook his head, he was confused and lost. So what does that made the man that took care of him for nearly his whole life stand?

"Kira," Uzumi started gently "Just because you found me, it doesn't make Mr Yamato any less of a father he is to you."

Kira blinked as he bowed his head and nodded.

"Then my father talked to me and he made me see that anger is not the way to go. It took me a long while but now Mr Attha," Kira looked up. "I don't hate you anymore but I don't think I'm ready to accept the fact that I now have another family," He finished.

Uzumi's eyes clouded at his words, it wasn't as if he was surprised at his words. "Thank you Kira for telling me this. Natsu has no doubt brought you up well."

Cagalli looked at her father then to her brother. Seriously? What was Kira saying? That what he don't want to be her brother? And what nonsense is her father sprouting? Hello! Who was one staring at their baby photos and drinking hard liqour at the same time?

"What are you both talking about?" Cagalli burst out angrily. "You're ruining my plans for a happy family!"

"Kira! Are you saying that you are not ready to accept me too? That I am your sister? The only sister you will ever going to get! And dad? What are talking about? Can't you be a bit more emotional? He's your son for crying out loud! Do I have to do everything myself?"

"Cagalli…" Both men began, eyes flashing angrily at her.

"What!" She replied indignantly before letting out a humourless laugh. In that instant when both were glaring at her, they were almost a reflection of each other's expression.

"Talk about being father and son, you should see yourselves now, both of you have cross-eyes when you're angry. Hahaha!" Cagalli snickered.

Kira couldn't help but feel embarrassed as he punched Cagalli on her arm in revenge.

"Ow! No sister abuse!" Cagalli retorted, rubbing her sore arm.

Kira rolled his eyes. "You started it."

"Dad!" Cagalli whined, putting on her puppy dog eyes.

Uzumi chuckled as he shrugged. "You deserved it for making fun of us."

Cagalli glared playfully at her father as she assumed a hurt look.

"Two against one, it's unfair," she mumbled.

Both men laughed as they smiled at Cagalli. Oh, what would they be without her?

"Well, Kira, it seems like Cagalli wants me to be more dramatic," Uzumi started in good-humored once his laughter subsided. "So, I'm glad that you found out Kira but you can take all the time you want. However, I would really love for you to be part of our family."

Cagalli grinned. "Yeah! You should really celebrate Christmas with us! We have this huge tree and everyone in our extended family is coming. You're gonna love it! Though you might want to look out for our little cousins, especially now they got you whom they can coerce into giving them train rides around the house…Ah, actually I sort of pity you…" Cagalli concluded, shaking her head and patting his arm in sympathy but smiling a bit too happily for Kira's liking.

Kira returned her smile as he patted her a bit too hard on her back. "It's ok; I'm not the only male cousin. I got you don't I?"

Cagalli narrowed her eyes at him as she made an annoyed sound while her father roared with laughter. "Kira's right. Sometimes I forget I have a daughter, Cagalli if you don't start acting like a girl, you going to end up an old maid," Uzumi said teasingly, his eyes dancing.

"Tch, I don't need boys. They are a bloody waste of my time, they only care about themselves," Cagalli replied bitterly.

"That's not true, I know one guy that isn't," Kira answered easily, smiling secretly at her.

Cagalli's eyes darkened, knowing who Kira was implying. Too late, he freaking blew his chances with her, that's if he even felt that way about her.

"Whatever," Cagalli muttered as she took a swing of her water.

Uzumi looked from one twin to the other, feeling as if he was missing something. Curious but not wanting to seem nosy, he let it slide; maybe it's time another man in the house help take care of Cagalli's problems. He was at ease; feeling as if a huge burden had lifted off his shoulders watching how his children interact, it was as if they were never separated at all. He was thankful, maybe their mother in heaven was watching over her two children.

_Ah…Hibiki, if only you can see your two children now…_

* * *

The rest of the meal passed by easily as Kira and Uzumi chatted, getting to know each other more. Cagalli occasionally butted in when she felt that it was starting to get awkward, which happened quite often, especially with Kira who was still rather reserved with Uzumi.

But Cagalli was contented, it was a very good start to get their family together and watching her father's eyes gleamed with joy was worth masquerading as a boy to find her brother.

But then once the meal was coming to an end, Uzumi asked a question that made both of them freeze.

"You know there's one thing I still can't understand, how did both of you find each other? Cagalli you were in Emirates and Kira was in ZAFT, they are basically on the two ends of Orb. How did you both met?" Uzumi asked good-naturally oblivious to the sudden change in mood.

Cagalli gulped as looked at Kira just out of her peripheral view.

Kira fidgeted, unsure how to answer the question without talking about Cagalli's little trip to ZAFT.

Uzumi looked at them, sensing that something amiss, it was a simple question surely they don't have to rack their brains to answer.

"Well? How did you both find each other?" he repeated again.

Cagalli swallowed as she answered, "We um…met at a volleyball match between Emirates and ZAFT. Kira was part of the ZAFT volleyball team."

She licked her lips as she looked at her father, hoping that he'll buy it. It wasn't a complete lie after all.

Uzumi nodded slowly, made sense. Cagalli was on the Emirates volleyball team too, she must have gone there to support the team.

"But that doesn't explain how did both of you found out you were siblings?"

Cagalli took a quick glance at her brother who seemed to have developed a sudden interest in the interior design of the restaurant.

_Useless pig-brain brother_ she seethed silently.

"Cagalli?"

"I had an informant in ZAFT!" Cagalli blurted out wildly as Kira choked on the water he was drinking.

Uzumi raised an eyebrow, not believing it even for a second. "You had an informant in ZAFT?"

Cagalli nodded, feeling the heat gathering in her face.

'And who exactly is this informant? Or where in world did you find this informant? Did he specialized in find long-lost siblings?" Uzumi asked nodding in fake seriousness that Cagalli knew that her bluff was called.

"Um...well…" Cagalli stammered.

"Cagalli Yula Athha, you better tell me the truth," Uzumi said sternly, his eyes flashing angrily. He will not tolerate lies especially from his daughter.

Cagalli smiled meekly as she wondered how bad of a scene her father will make in a restaurant when she tells him that she was pretending to be a boy.

"Um…actually it was I who found out that we were twins, I overhead my father's phone conversation with you and I realized that I was not his biological son. And I remembered meeting Cagalli before so I put both together and realized what was going on," Kira replied smoothly, covering up for Cagalli.

Cagalli stared dumbly at her brother, _Oh Kira, I'm sorry I called a useless pig-brain brother…You're so much more useful than a pig…_

"Oh I see, well that explains it. But what was Cagalli talking about just now?" Uzumi asked, still not buying everything.

"Well, I was um…trying to make thing sound more exciting? I mean an informant in ZAFT sounds a lot more intriguing than an overhead phone conversation…" Cagalli replied weakly.

Uzumi laughed, it was just like Cagalli to come up with some ridiculous hare-brained story. Kira stifled a laugh as he looked at Cagalli who was staring at him with grateful eyes.

"_Thank you," _she mouthed. Kira merely smiled in return.

All too soon, they had to part as Uzumi needed to prepare for a dinner engagement.

"Well, it's been nice getting to know Kira, I hoped to see you again," Uzumi smiled.

"Yes, Mr Athha. I enjoyed myself as well," Kira replied respectfully.

"So um…" Uzumi started awkwardly, wondering if they should part with a handshake or…

Kira on the other hand, shifted his weight uncomfortably as he debated the same question as well.

Cagalli rolled her eyes in exasperation. Could those two be any more alike?

"Oh for heavens' sake! Just hug! Both of you are impossible!" And she practically shoved Kira into Uzumi.

Kira stumbled as he hit Uzumi's body and they wrapped their arms around each other stiffly. Uzumi gave Kira a hearty pat on the back before they broke apart.

"My turn!" Cagalli chirped as she pushed Kira away, leaving him glaring disapprovingly at her back as she hugged her father tightly. Uzumi chuckled as he hugged his daughter back warmly.

"Bye Cagalli," he said as they moved away from each other. Cagalli waved as her father turned and walked.

She waited till her father was a good distance away before saying to Kira.

"THAT is how you hug, you're never going to get a girlfriend if your hugging skills were of that calibre," she said sticking out her tongue.

Kira merely grinned as if enjoying some secret joke.

"How do you know I don't have a girlfriend?"

Cagalli's eyes widened in shock as she stared speechless at him, Kira has a girlfriend?

"You do? Wow, did you pull an inception on her? Putting the idea that she likes you into her subconscious? Oh no wait, you must have it her so hard on the head with the volleyball that she's hallucinating that she likes you. Yeah, that sounds more reasonable," Cagalli concluded as she nodded vigorously.

Kira thumped her on her head. "Oh shut up!"

Cagalli looked at him reproached. "Well?"

The corners of his ears turned red as he stammered a reply. "Well, we're not a couple yet. But I think I might stand a good chance."

Cagalli's eyes lit up with excitement. "Oo! Scandalous! Who is it?"

Kira's blush deepened as he fidgeted with the ends of his shirt.

Cagalli let out an exasperated sigh. "C'mon, it's not that hard. Heck! I might not even know the girl!"

"Actually you do," Kira answered quietly.

Cagalli cocked her head to the side as her brows furrowed.

"I do?" She racked her brains for any possible females that could possibly like Kira.

"I can't think of any," Cagalli answered finally. "Just say the name."

Kira hesitated before replying. "La-Lacus."

Cagalli paused as she heard his answer. Her shoulders drooped as she felt a twinge of guilt towards Lacus.

"Oh," she replied at last. "Well, I'm glad that she found someone."

Kira clapped a reassuring hand to her shoulder. "It wasn't your fault, Cagalli. She was going to get her heart broken no matter what you do or say."

"I know but it still feels horrible," Cagalli said in a small voice. "Kira, treat her well ok? If not," Cagalli punched him hard on the arm.

"Ouch! Ok I get it! Don't worry I will," he replied smiling. "Though I have to thank you, if you didn't break her heart, I wouldn't have the opportunity to talk to her."

"Huh?" Cagalli replied confused.

"Well, after you practically ran out on her at the stands. I happened to walk past and saw her crying so I just decided that if I was ever going to have a chance with her. I should grab this chance and I did," Kira explained bashfully.

Cagalli chuckled as she shook her head in amazement. Who would have thought?

"Ah, so that explains why you dislike Meer so much," she commented, recalling the way Kira regarded Meer on the first day they met.

Kira let out a weak laugh as he nodded embarrassed. He didn't like to hate that girl but she was such a twisted and perverted form of Lacus that he couldn't help it.

Kira watched as Cagalli mulled over their conversation. He supposed he should start on his next mission.

"C'mon, let's take a walk," he said casually as he began walking ahead.

"A walk?" Cagalli repeated, bewildered as she watched her brother walking away.

"Wait!" Cagalli called out as Kira turned to see his sister rushing towards him and wrapping her arms around his torso, startled but nontheless smiled as he hugged her back.

"Thank you for coming Kira," she said, her voice muffled slightly.

"Well, It wasn't easy and after Kayla spoke to me, I gave it a lot of thought and I decided that I should come. After all, you are my sister. My one and only sister," Kira said, smiling tenderly.

Cagalli glanced up, her eyes shining.

"You're such a sappy," Cagalli said cheekily.

Kira rolled his eyes as he released her and walked away.

"Aw! C'mon, sappy is good! I'm sure your Lacus dearest will love all those mushy sweet lines!" She shouted.

She laughed as Kira increased his walking speed.

* * *

"Let's take a seat," Kira suggested abruptly as they arrived where an outdoor fountain stood with benches surrounding the water gushing out.

"I thought we were taking a walk?" Cagalli said, raising her eyebrows.

"I'm tired, c'mon." Kira took her arm and pulled her towards a bench. She looked at Kira, suddenly suspicious and her suspicion deepened when he dragged her to a bench where there was already another person sitting on the opposite side since the two benches were placed in such a way that they were back to back.

"Kira, there are other benches that are empty," she stated.

"I like this bench, it has a good view of the fountain," Kira replied simply. Cagalli gave him a skeptical look but didn't say anything as she tried to get a good look at the person that was already on the other bench but since he was wearing a beanie and had his headphones on his head she couldn't see much. Not to mention a cool set of shades covering his eyes.

Kira gently pulled her down with him as he sat on the bench facing the fountain.

"So, how have you been?" Kira asked.

Cagalli shrugged. "Same, it's like I didn't even left. How about you?" She added after afterthought.

"Yeah, the same. Nothing really changed much," Kira replied.

"T-that's good," she said quietly. So everyone at ZAFT was taking her sudden disappearance well? She couldn't help but feel a bit betrayed. Shouldn't they be at least upset or curious when she left?

Kira cleared his throat; since he was there for a mission. He might as well ask her right now.

"Actually I want to talk to you about Athrun," he said.

Cagalli flinched at said person's name.

'Do we have to talk about him now? We were having such a good time," Cagalli said, frowning.

"Cagalli…"

"Kira…I really don't want to talk about him," Cagalli said, sighing.

But Kira was not one to give up so easily. "Alright, we won't talk about him if you just answer one question."

Cagalli waited for him to continue.

"Do you still lo- um…_like_ him?"

Cagalli's face tinged slightly with pink.

"No," she responded curtly, ignoring the tightening of her stomach as she lied brazenly.

Kira raised his eyebrows. It's so obvious she's lying.

"Really?"

"Yes," Cagalli replied a little too quickly.

"You're lying,"

Cagalli rolled her eyes.

"I'm not,"

"Then why aren't you looking at me when you reply,"

Cagalli was starting to get annoyed. Why was Kira asking all these out of a sudden? Why was everyone so curious? Seriously there are more interesting and pressing issues then her non-existent love life. Like gobal warming, if the whole world is going to get flooded, it's pretty useless to sit and talk about her feelings.

"Kira, you're being an ass, I already answered you. What does it mattered if I look you in the eyes or not. It's not going to changed anything. And if you don't have anything better to talk, I'm going back to Emirates," With that Cagalli stood up and was about to go when a hand gripped her wrist preventing her from leaving.

She snapped her head down to glare at her brother.

"What?" She asked, a bit too harshly than she intented to.

"So this is how you deal with unfavorable situations? Getting angry at everyone and everything, "

Cagalli narrowed her eyes, irritation eating at her. As much as she loved her brother, does he have to be so direct? It pisses her that he was reading her like an open book.

"What do you want Kira? What do you want me to say?" She asked, frustrated.

Kira looked at her, cool amethyst meeting fiery amber.

"The truth," he replied simply.

Cagalli let out a cynical snort.

The truth, what the hell is exactly the truth?

"The truth? Fine, I'll admit it, I still loved him, despite what that son of a bitch done, I still do. There, are you happy now?"

"Really?" Kira asked, intrigued.

Cagalli could feel the heat rising in her cheeks.

"I'm out of here," Cagalli mumbled as she wrenched her wrist from his grip and hastily begin to walk away before she say anything more embarrassing or something that she'll regret saying in the future.

Yes, she loves Athrun. Even now, even when that stupid bastard broke her heart. She was still in love with him. Despite feeling betrayed, angry and upset at him. She could never bring herself to hate him. She loved him too much for that to happen. In any case she was furious with herself, for allowing herself to let her guard down, for letting Athrun inside her heart so much that it was impossible to expel him from her heart.

No matter what, Athrun will always have a part of her.

* * *

Kira watched his sister walked away hurriedly and let out a small grin.

Mission accomplished. It went smoother than he expected, he had almost thought that he'll have to resort to blackmailing her about her ex-boyfriend to get her to say those words.

He leaned back on the bench as he gazed up to the sky with a smug smile.

He turned to his left where the stranger sat with his headphones on, with the smile on his face.

"You know I heard that Tru-style is one of the worst noise-cancelling headphones on the market ever," And with that he clapped a hand on the stranger's shoulder before getting up to leave, his smile widening is satisfaction that his work here was done.

* * *

After Kira left about five minutes, the stranger took off his headphones and placed it on his lap, his hands gripping it tightly as he tightened his jaw muscles.

Slowly he lifted one hand to his face to take off his sunglasses to reveal a brilliant set of emerald eyes.

The guy was right, Tru-style sucks at blocking outside interference but then again, the headphones weren't even plugged in to begin with.

* * *

I don't hate pigs! I love piggies!:) I used to drink pig-brain soup to increase my brain power…

Oops…hehe

Ooo...who is that mysterious person? Is the suspense killing you? lols, I think most of you could figure out who the person was!

Anyway until the next update which I foresee may be the last chapter...aw...

Anyway thanks for reading and remember to drop me a review, maybe I'll be more motivated to update sooner rather than waiting for a whole year again!

I just want to thank those who stuck with me since chapter one and have been following my story since 1st Jan 2009.. Thank you so much!

Coolios! Lots of sarang(LOVE) from me to you!XD


	22. Chapter 22: Cagalli's fetish

FINAL CHAPTER! Would you believe it? This story is finally coming to a close! I'll leave my long rant after this chapter!

Gundam seed does not belong to me as always!

Inspired(not so much) by the Shakespearean play - Twelfth Night or (more) Hana Kimi or (is there still any trace of it?)She's the man all jumble together:) and a teeny Glee plus Katy Perry's mv(_Baby, you're a fiiiiirrreeework!_) reference!

ENJOY!:))))) **Edited as of 22th May 2011**

* * *

"_What the hell was I saying to Kira? I still love him! Oh my god! I must as well have told Athrun mysefl! Argh!"_ Cagalli thought in frustration as she stormed away from Kira, her face still red.

"Argh!" She let out an irritated cry, startling passer-bys as they turned to stare at her. She didn't care; she was so pissed off.

Stupid Athrun, Stupid stupid blue headed freak.

* * *

Meanwhile, Athrun was sitting there on the bench, her words still ringing in his head.

"_The truth? Fine, I'll admit it, I still loved him, despite what that son of a bitch did, I still do. There, are you happy now?"_

He let out a laugh; feeling so much lighter than he did in a while. Another tinkle of laughter burst out of him as people passing him gave him a weird look-over, not that he paid attention anyway.

After all, Cagalli _loooves_ him.

He grinned as he slip off his beanie and shook out his blue mane, giving it a rough toss over that he knew girls loved so much.

Looking up, he didn't know why but the sky suddenly looked so blue and cheerful.

* * *

She stood outside a sports store, looking wistfully at the different balls on display in the window. The blue-and yellow striped one was the one Athrun was playing when she first met him.

_Athrun shrugged as he started bouncing the ball on the insides of his forearms a move usually employed by players to pass a ball that came to them below chest level to another teammate or what they call digging. Cagalli's orange eyes followed the ball as it made a rather soothing sound when it hit his arms. He's good Cagalli mused as she watched Athrun skillfully bounce the ball without dropping it._

Cagalli sighed as she recalled how they first met. It was only a few months ago, but now it seems so long, like a distant memory.

Her eyes went to the next ball, a green and yellow striped one, it was the same ball they used in the tournament.

She closed her eyes, still remembering the feel of the rubber ball in her hand, the sound of the crowd cheering. The determined look in his eyes, the way his perspiration trickled down the side of his face. The habit of him pushing his sleeves up, he should just wore sleeveless…

Her eyes flew open at that thought as she mentally scolded herself while her cheeks tinged of red. Why does everything have to have him inside?

She was about to turn and leave when an orange ball caught her eye. It was a basketball.

Her thoughts went straight to the moment he hugged her.

The heat radiating off him and his scent was so intoxicating that she wanted nothing more than to buried her face in his chest and just breathe him in.

Cagalli let out another glum sigh as her shoulders slumped forward. She really hated to admit it but she missed Athrun. She missed the way he looked at her when they were eating, eyes so attentive and charming. Mouth so enticing that sometimes she had to mentally tell herself not to stare at them as they moved, (she secretly wondered what it would feel like to have those delicious lips on hers…)

She shook her head as felt heat spreading across her cheeks at the thought of kissing Athrun…

She would be wrap up in his arms and then she'll close her eyes and tilt her head up and he will lean down and press those sensuous lips to those and then she'll melt in his embrace…

"Cagalli?"

_What…_ A hazy part of mind drawled in annoyance.

"What are you doing?"

_I'm kissing Athrun, take a number…or better yet, take a hike… _Her inner voice said irritably.

"Cagalli? Are you _kissing_ the store window?"

_Store window?_ The words didn't make sense. But then, Athrun's 'lips' felt strangely flat and cold and tasted like _cleaner…_

Her amber eyes flew opened as she stared cross-eyed at her reflection, before she realized that she had actually acted out her fantasy. She leapt backwards as she spit out the taste of window cleaner.

Ew…gross!

A chuckle reached her ears as she whirled around to glare at the person, ready to chew the person inside out, outside in and all other ways in between.

But all verbal abuses flew out off her mind when she realized who it was.

Her jaw dropped as she gawked openly at the boy standing in front of her with his amazingly perfect tousled shoulder-length hair that looked more silky-smooth then hers. With his gorgeous emerald eyes staring at her, Cagalli _swooned_ in her place as she struggled to form a logical, comprehenable sentence that does not involved his appearance or what she _really_ wanted to do to him right now…

"Um…Ah…" she said thickly.

Athrun looked at her humorously; it was a stroke of luck that he saw her as he ran by the Sports Shop to the bus stop to find her.

Though he didn't quite expect to find her making out with the store window…

He would have to store that for blackmail in the future…_if_ Cagalli forgive him that is.

Which he felt quite confident about, because…Cagalli _loooves_ him…

And he felt his male ego overinflate_ just_ a little bit more.

"Hi Cagalli, do you regularly make out with windows?" he teased lightly, his grin widened when she blushed.

"Sh-Shut up idiot, I'm still pissed at you," she growled out angrily, fists balling at her sides. She wasn't going to let Athrun off that easily. Who does he thinks she is?

A mindless worshipper of everything that is Athrun Zala?

_(Ahem_…)

_Oh shut up…_ She snapped to the voice in her head.

Athrun's grin faltered just a little bit as he replied, "I want to apologise Cagalli, I didn't mean to make you feel that you're not good. I was just looking out for you Cagalli, I didn't want you to get into trouble when ZAFT finds out that you've been pretending to be a boy. I'm sorry Cagalli."

Cagalli narrowed her eyes at him, debating internally whether to buy his story or not. Honestly, she was all for forgiving this handsome boy in front of her, but then she won't be Cagalli if she did that.

_Let him sweat a little for putting me through all that misery_ she thought evilly.

"Oh wow, that's really nice of you of think that, thanks. Now if that is all, excuse me, I got a bus to catch," she said coldly as she turned and walked away from him, not sparing him another glance.

Athrun blinked as he felt a light breeze as she past him.

Was that…strawberry-scented shampoo he smelt?

He couldn't help a small smile despite the fact that Cagalli was walking away from him…away from him.

He felt a thrill of excitement electrifying his body as he wondered what other new things about the girl-Caleb he has yet to discover. Athrun felt like a kid at Christmas, finding another gift hidden in a gift he thought he had already unwrapped. It was exhilarating to realize that there were tons of things he didn't know about this girl and he was _dying_ to find out.

But first, he needed to get her back.

"Cagalli wait!" He called out as he grabbed her forearm to stop her from walking away. Cagalli flinched and wrenched her arm from his grip, her heart thumping as her eyes widened in shock.

"I-I'm sorry," he mumbled as he brought both his hands up in a peace gesture, he was taken aback by Cagalli's reaction or _over-_reaction.

"I just wanted you to hear me out, these past few months with you were really enjoyable, I couldn't remember the last time I have enjoyed another's company so much. I-I missed you Cagalli…" The last part came out softer than he intended to, he looked away, heart palpitating. For once in his life, he felt unsure, even though Cagalli said that she still loves him, did it meant that she would forgive him?

Cagalli blinked at him, "You…miss me?" The words sounded surreal coming out of her mouth and so would the other three words...if you just substitute 'miss' with-

She shook her head, reprimanding herself _NOT_ to go there.

"Well yeah, I did. You're really-um," and Athrun blushed unconsciously. Cagalli felt a twitch in her oral muscles as she watched Athrun intently.

_Oh god, he looks so adorable! How can anyone be infuriating and adorable at the same time? _She gushed internally as she forced down the bubble of amusement in her.

"Well?" she prompted, crossing her arms across her chest and shifted her weight to one foot.

Athrun cleared his throat as he answered, "Nice,"

And Cagalli raised a disbelief eyebrow as she echoed his words back, "Nice? I'm nice?"

Athrun rubbed the back of his neck as he let out an awkward smile. "Um, you're actually more than nice…You're er-very nice."

Cagalli blinked at him, "Very nice?"

"Wow," she continued. "You were right; you are really _really _bad with girls."

Athrun glared at her with all the ferocity a blushing schoolboy has confessing to a girl.

"Sh-Shut up, I-I'm trying ok," he grumbled as crossed his arms like a ticked-off 5 year-old.

And the slight pursed of his lips in indignant, did her in.

It was futile in trying to be angry with someone when you're not, or trying to deny her feelings when they are bursting out of her like fireworks. Cagalli Yula Athha was not a passive girl. Hell no. If she likes someone, she damn well be making her point across, even though she did confessed to him but did it really count when it was said in between rage and betrayal?

So she decided to give them another shot, in case he didn't hear it the first time when she was confessed in the midst of her verbal lashings.

"I still love you," She said in a shy voice, hoping her voice didn't quivered as she licked her lips and turned her bright and hopefully not too hopeful eyes to him.

"I know," he said absent-mindedly as he felt his heart start thumping a little harder and a wee bit faster at her confession again.

"And…m-me too" Athrun said shyly, his eyes darting nervously around, not daring to look at her in her eyes, oh those glorious topaz.

"You-You do?" Cagalli almost choked on the words, her insides buzzing with anticipation.

Athrun flushed as he fidgeted uncomfortably as he stammered out "I-I mean I um…feel something…f-for you…"

Cagalli felt her stomach dropped and bit her lower lip. It wasn't an outright profession of his undying love for her, buuuut. Athrun had said 'he felt something' for her.

It's a start.

So she took it.

She smiled and Athrun felt himself getting warm. _Such a beautiful smile…_

"Well, as long it's not hate," she said lightly.

Athrun smiled back and then confirmed bashfully. "It's _definitely_ not hate." Cagalli blushed in return at the attention his eyes were giving her.

"So…um, should we hold hands or something?" He said hesitantly, feeling foolish.

Cagalli let out an amused laugh and grinned widely at him.

"Oh goodness Athrun! Didn't you go out on dates and have girlfriends before?" She asked lightly, enjoying this side of Athrun a lot.

"Well yeah, but I never felt like this before with them, and I don't want to screw this up, especially not with you, Cagalli," he said seriously, looking her with those gorgeous emerald eyes and Cagalli felt something in her stirred at his words as she gazed at him with newfound affection.

"I don't believe you are capable of screwing this up, Athrun," Cagalli said quietly as she took a step towards him so they were almost toe-to-toe.

Athrun gulped at their sudden close proximity. "Ca-Cagalli, aren't we moving a bit fast?"

Cagalli smiled cattishly at him. "We can't be moving too fast, if no one has ever set the ideal pace, right?"

Athrun licked his lips nervously as he put his hands firmly on her shoulders and turned her around. "How about coffee?"

Cagalli let out a smirk as she allowed herself to be turned and prodded forward by Athrun.

"Coffee sounds good," she said as Athrun came by her side and took her right hand in his, she glanced up at him with surprise in her eyes as he focused his attention on the street ahead, the only thing that gave him away was the slight tinge of red on his cheeks.

Cagalli smiled shyly as his hand gripped hers a little tighter and she felt her heart hummed contently at the warmth her hand was encased in, she glanced down at their intertwined hands and marveled how they seemed to fit each other like two jigsaw puzzle pieces.

It was a perfect fit.

She leaned into his side as they made their way to a nearby café. Athrun's blush deepened but he didn't not moved away and allowed Cagalli to lean against him.

Cagalli smiled until she realized something.

"Athrun, what did you mean when you say 'I know' when I told you I still love you?" she asked curious.

"Um…lucky guess?"Athrun suggested with a nervous laugh.

Cagalli raised an eyebrow at him, not quite believing his words. She pulled her hand from his and looked at him pointly.

"If we want this to work, you can't be lying to me," she stated stubbornly.

Athrun sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Is it that important?"

Cagalli gave him an incredulous look. "Of course it is! If you start lying now, what's to stop you from lying about all the other things?"

"Cagalli…" he started, feeling slightly exasperated. Kira wasn't kidding when he said that she was going to be a handful.

"Fine, I overheard you telling Kira just now, Wait! Before you start shouting at me, don't look at me like that. You know you're going to yell. It was Kira's idea! Or rather Kira and Lacus's big idea. I didn't really like the idea at first, I mean I'm perfectly capable of handling my relationships myself…and…and…why are you laughing?" Athrun huffed at her angrily.

"I'm trying to be serious here!"

Cagalli chortled as she wheezed out, "I'm sorry, you lost me at 'perfectly capable of handling my relationships',"

Athrun felt himself twitched irritably. "Will you stop laughing at me?"

Cagalli finally stop her laughter as she gazed warmly at a furious Athrun. "No, I don't think I'll ever stop. Because I love this adorable dorky you too much, Athrun Zala." And she wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her head contently on his chest.

Athrun felt his anger dissipating. Frankly, it's impossible to stay angry at her when she knows what buttons to push. So he resigned himself to his fate and hugged her back, a small smile creeping onto his face as he relished how she fitted so snugly against him, her blonde hair tickling his chin as he bowed his head and took a whiff of her hair.

Yeah…definitely strawberry shampoo.

* * *

"What are they doing now?" a voice whispered as three boys spied on a couple a few metres away.

"Do I look like I give a damn? And what the hell am I doing spying on Zala?" An irritated silver-haired male grumbled.

"Well because we are all such good friends that we want everlasting happiness for each other and also this make some awesome juicy gossip back at ZAFT," the blonde said evilly. "Seriously, I can't believe that you guys never told me that Caleb Yula was a girl and a hot and gorgeous babe, I mean just look at those legs! God what would I give to have those amazing legs wra-OW!"

"Dearka, if you make one more pass at my sister, I swear…" Kira let his voice trailed off as he glared at Dearka.

"I meant to have those amazing _athletic-looking_ legs on me, I mean skinny jeans are all the rage now and I was just envious…I swear I wasn't making a pass at your sister…"

Kira narrowed his eyes at him as Yzak let out a snort beside him.

"Whatever," Kira muttered as he peeped around the corner of the shop they were at. "Quick! They're walking away!"

The spying boys crept out of their hiding spot and trailed the couple, be sure to keep a good distance away to prevent detection.

"I'm so good at this; I think all the times I spend tailing Mirialla is finally paying off."

The other two boys rolled their eyes as they hid behind another shop as the couple has stopped.

Kira chuckled as he saw Athrun rubbing the bridge of his nose wearily.

_Well, too bad you like my sister…_

And his eyes lit up when Cagalli hugged him.

"Yes!" he cheered quietly as he looked on at them.

"I hate Athrun so much right now, all Athrun did was be a complete jerk to her and he has her putting into his hand and me? I tried every trick in the book and Mirialla still hates the guts out of me. Screw life, I hate high school!"

Kira sighed exasperatedly at him and glanced at Yzak who seemed to be twitching so violently that he looks like he's going to have a seizure of some sorts.

_Where's Shiho, Yzak needs her right now_ he thought wryly.

Oh right, Shiho and Kayla and some of their friends plus Lacus said they had some matters to take care of…

Apparently they found out who was the one that gave Yunna those pictures and they, according to them, 'were going to have a nice talk over a cup of coffee with the bitch.'

Ah…Kira shook his head and for a split second felt sympathy for the girl…

And then…it was gone.

After all this is the girl that caused his sister so much grief and almost cost Cagalli's chance of being with Athrun.

"They seemed to be hugging for quite some time now," Yzak said offhandedly as he glanced at them and then at Kira and then he smirked.

"Are you ok with that?"

Kira blinked at him. "They are just hugging,"

And his smirk grew; finally he found something interesting that watching a sappy idol drama unfolding before his eyes.

"You know hugging is the prelude to something much more…_physical _and much more _less dry…_"

Kira stared at him. Physical? Less dry? What was he implying? And seriously aren't they hugging a tat too long?

And then his eyes grew large.

"You mean…" And Yzak smiled knowingly. Kira gulped as he thought of the worst-case scenarios. Athrun wouldn't do that, I mean for heavens' sake! They are in public and with people walking around and…WHERE THE HELL ARE CAGALLI'S HANDS GOING?

"CAGAAALLLI!"

* * *

Cagalli couldn't help an internal sigh as she leaned into Athrun's embrace.

He was _soooo_ warm…and smelt_ soooo_ delicious.

And not just smell but feel as well, she could feel his lean muscular chest against her and her hands on his back was tingling from the thrill of just touching him. She suppressed a squeal at her good fortune of having such a hot boyfriend.

A hot boyfriend with a very _very _fine ass.

Smirking, she slides her hands down as she almost fainted from the knowledge that her hands were on his ass. God, Athrun just brings out the worst in her.

Did she mention that it was a very fine and_ firm_ ass?

And then an irritating, annoying, loud, obnoxious shout cut through her thoughts.

"CAGAAALLLI!"

She pulled out of the embrace instinctively as she glanced wildly around for the source. Her eyes narrowed as she watched her brother, her very soon to be dead brother running towards them with a furious expression.

Athrun who turned bewildered at the sound of his girlfriend's (Girlfriend!) name being shouted so frantically, widened his green eyes when he realized that his best friend was running towards them with a look of intent murder on his face.

Looking behind Kira, he could make out a silver and blonde heads. He growled in annoyance that they were spying on him and Cagalli. Couldn't they just leave him in peace? Kira that big mouth must have told them about Cagalli and him.

Ugh! Who knew that his friends were such gossip-loving bastards?

"CAGALLI! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING? WHERE THE _HELL_ DO YOU THINK YOU WERE TOUCHING?" Kira bellowed at his sister, livid.

Cagalli flinched at volume as she turned red and glared annoyed at Kira. Who didn't seem to care that he was attracting a lot of curious stares.

Of course not, his sister 'groping' his best friend was more much imperative.

"What are you doing here? Were you _spying _on us?" Cagalli hissed angrily.

"It's not just him Cagalli, Dearka and Yzak is back there," Athrun said dryly as he jerked his head to the direction of the poorly concealed two.

Cagalli turned and turned a brighter shade of red as it dawned on that that they had an audience. She clenched her fists as she glared furiously at her twin, who was red for a whole different reason.

"And it was damn right decision! What were you thinking? Grabbing Athrun's ass?" Kira hissed venomously. At least he had the decency to lower his voice. However, it still horrified Cagalli nonetheless to have Kira blurted out such embarrassing details and right in front of Athrun as well!

Her blush deepened as she dared not look at Athrun's reaction but rather focused her murderous glare at Kira instead.

In that brief moment, Cagalli had a sudden nostalgia for being a single child.

Athrun on the other head turned and look down at Cagalli who was burning holes into Kira with her eyes, he couldn't help a twitch in muscles as he resisted a smirk.

So that was her hands on his ass? He was wondering if it was his imagination. At least he could confirm that Cagalli seemed to develop a liking for asses, especially his. Well that explains why Cagalli seemed so distracted whenever he turned behind to talk to her. She has been blatantly ogling at his ass.

However, his inner musings were interrupted when Cagalli's furious voice retorted back, "He's _my _boyfriend, if I'm not grabbing his, who am I suppose to grab?"

Kira gawked openly at his sister while Athrun cringed at the many innuendos of her statement.

Cagalli on the other hand, seemed oblivious of her words as she crossed her arms over her chest, wasn't it obvious? Athurn was her boyfriend (for a whole 30 minutes)! And that ass of his belongs to her!

Besides, she been waiting months for that moment and bloody hell, her brother _had _to budge in and spoil what would have been the highlight of her eighteen-year-old life.

UGH! Brothers have horrible timing!

Kira closed his mouth as he said in the way a parent would lecture an errant child.

"Cagalli, I _forbid _you to touch Athrun's ass!"

The newly formed couple blinked at him. Was Kira for real? He was _banning _Cagalli from touching Athrun's ass?

"Are you insane? You're _forbidding_ me from touching my own boyfriend's ass? What is this? Stone Age?"Cagalli sneered. "You're so unbelievable! Are you telling me that Lacus has never touched yours' before?" She challenged.

At this, Kira turned a light shade of pink. And despite in her anger, couldn't help but feel…a tad awkward and…repulsed. Sweet Lacus groping Numbskull Kira's ass?

She shuddered, THAT was one information she could live without. Knowing details about her brother's love life she thought would be as bad as walking in on your parents having sex.

"T-that's not the point! W-we're not talking about me! We're talking about Athrun's ass here!"

Cagalli rolled her eyes in exasperation. "I repeat, Athrun's my boyfriend and if I want to grab his ass, I sure as hell will grab it! So you just have to deal with it!"

Kira and Cagalli were locked in a glare battle and poor Athrun had never felt so…so _violated._ They were publicly and loudly arguing about_ touching_ his ass, which by the way belongs to him and not to the twins.

So he cleared his throat awkwardly as the twins snapped their heads to him as though realizing for the first time that there was someone else.

"D-Don't I have a say in this? It _is_ my ass you know,"

Athrun cringed inwardly, did he really just said that?"YOU!" Kira said in a scandalous voice as though registering him for the first time. "What were you planning on doing with my sister?"

Athrun was taken aback. "Huh?" He asked confused.

"I know what you're thinking of doing! You want to have sex with my sister! Here!"

"Who's having public sex?" a new voice asked, curious.

Three heads turned to see Yzak and Dearka standing next to them.

Kira blinked before shaking an accused finger at Yzak. "You! You were the one who said 'something much more less _dry_'"

At this, Yzak smiled deviously as his sapphire blue eyes gleamed nastily. Suddenly he didn't mind being drag along to spy on Zala.

"I was implying _kissing_," he said innocently, though his devilish smirk said otherwise. "What you thought I was saying Kira?"

At this, Kira gawked for the second time in a span of a few minutes at Yzak before turning to the couple who was waiting _patiently_ for his answer.

And Cagalli reminiscing of being a single child resurfaced again.

"I-I…You…her…I…" Kira spluttered uselessly under the piercing gazes.

"ARGH! But you're still not allowed to touch Athrun's butt!" Kira declared.

Cagalli was at her wits end. And Athrun sensing it, grabbed Kira by the arm and dragged him away.

"You know what Kira? I think you're suffering from a very serious case of brother complex…" he started patiently as he dragged a protesting Kira away.

Cagalli glared at them, taking deep breaths to calm herself down. UGH! Of all the missing brothers out there, she had to get the one with a severe case of brother complex.

"Cagalli…" Dearka started.

She turned towards Dearka and Yzak.

"So…you're a chick?" Dearka commented looking appreciatively at her. Cagalli twitched.

Yzak rolled his eyes, it didn't really mattered to him that his teammate turned out to be a girl. He snorted and walked away, not wanting to miss the show between Athrun and Kira.

"Anyway, since you're friends with Mirialla…do you think you can put in a good word for me?" Dearka asked hopefully, his eyes shining.

"I'm not friends with Miralla, I barely know her," Cagalli shook her head.

Dearka waved off her words. "But you're Shiho's friend, so it's only a matter of time that you and Mirialla becomes er…what do you girls call…B…F…F?"

Cagalli snorted, "Even if I do, why should I put in a good word for you? Give me one good reason."

At this Dearka smiled slyly, with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"If you do, I'll give you my photo collection of Athrun showering. The _entire_ collection…"

Cagalli turned bright red from the fact of having Athrun's naked photos and the disturbing confession that Dearka has a _whole _collection of Athrun's naked photos.

"Including the yet-to-be-seen ones in the hard drive," Dearka added smirkingly.

Cagalli let out a grin.

"I want every single one of them, no keeping any to make copies, because if I find out…you can forget about Mirialla," Cagalli said smiling despite her threat.

Dearka let out a weak laugh as he felt a small shiver going down his spine. How did she know he was planning on keeping a few in case he ran short of cash?

"Ok," Dearka agreed meekly, smiling faintly.

Cagalli smiled as she walked to where Kira seemed to having a small meltdown. "Good, maybe I'll help put in a good word for you."

And Dearka felt the smile slipped off his face. "_Maybe_? Maybe?"

Cagalli turned back and shrugged. "Or maybe not…"

She smirked as she left Dearka flabbergasted.

Well, she never agreed to it in the first place anyway. And besides, if anyone was going to look at Athrun's naked pictures. It was her and not his annoying fanclub.

Plus, it was also good ammunition for blackmail.

* * *

_(Few hours later…when they are finally alone.)_

They were holding hands again.

"So…" Athrun started. "You like my ass that much huh?"

Cagalli's face reddened slightly as she answered back, "Well, I hate to see such fine _man-butt_ being so underappreciated."

Athrun let out a laugh as he let go of her hand to wrap his arm around her shoulders, bringing her flush to his side.

It felt very good to have her so close to him.

"I'm beginning to think that you love me for my butt," he teased.

Cagalli face turned even redder before putting on a hurt look.

"I'm offended that you think so superficially of me…I love you because whenever you look at me, it feels as though I'm special to you. I love you because I realised that I cannot see myself loving anyone else but you. But above all I love-"

Athrun's emerald eyes turned soft as he looked down at Cagalli's honest eyes.

And before he could stop himself, he was hugging her again, cutting her off mid-sentence.

"I think…I finally realized what those feelings are…" he whispered in her ear, his breath cooling the warm outer shell of her ear.

He pulled back and met her brilliant golden eyes.

They were anticipatory.

He smiled, leaned down and angled his face.

Those plump lips…

But before his lips could touch hers, he felt a squeeze on both his butt cheeks, his eyes widened in surprise to look into playful amber eyes and a wide satisfied grin.

He watched those soft (and enticing) pink lips part to form words.

"Above all I love you because you _really_ have the best ass I have even laid my eyes upon."

Athrun let out an audible and exasperated sigh as he bowed his head in resignation.

Dear God, what has he gotten himself into?

* * *

And PS: Cagalli's hands were still molesting his butt.

* * *

ANNNDDD...WE'RE DONE!

Whoa, I can't belive that this story( my first multi-chapters fic) is drawing to a close after slightly over 2 years with a brief one year lapse of hiatus.(I'm so sorry!) I'm really going to miss writing twelfth knight. It was an extremely fun piece and when inspiration struck, it just flows!

Anyway, I'm going to have an extra chapter for this, because there wasn't a kiss scene and for me, Romance without kiss is like eating cookie and cream ice-cream without the cookies or the cream(XD). I'm not sure when that would be up(hopefully sooner than later!) So if you wish to read that chapter, rmb to put this story on alert! haha!

Lastly, this is the final chapter(technically) for my story, I want to thank a lot of people: those to fav and put my story on alert! Those who put me on their fav and alert list! and lastly to the reviewers! Who took the time to write a review for me! and especially those who were with me from day 1 (1/1/09) and reviewed every single chapter since then!(YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!) I really appreciate it and take each one of them to heart! SO A HUGE thanks from to you! YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME AND the reason why I was able to complete Twelfth Knight! Without you, I wouldn't be able to write twelfth knight with such enjoyment!

Also, since this is the last chapter(techincally) I really really **REALLY** hope that you would drop me a review. About this chapter or the whole story! I look forward to reading your reviews!

As always, coolios. (THANKS YOU SO MUCH for reading my fic! I really really am grateful!Loads of love!)


End file.
